This Victoria Sandwich Cake features two light and buttery sponges sandwiched together with strawberry jam and a fluffy buttercream filling. You won’t believe how easy it is to make!
Hello hello, bakers! Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. 🙂
I’ve made it a point to catch up on The Great British Bake Off the last couple of weeks and I think it’s done me a whole lot of good. This cake has been on my mind lately, which isn’t too surprising considering it’s featured in the opening of every episode. I figured there’s no time like the present to bake one myself!
Victoria Sandwich Cakes are the quintessential teatime treat; word around town is that Queen Victoria herself had quite an appetite for them and usually had a slice along with her afternoon tea. Hence the name Victoria Sandwich.
All in all, this cake comes together really quickly. You can go from start to finish in under an hour!
Once you’ve combined the ingredients, just divide the batter up into your two cake pans, and pop ’em into the oven for 25 minutes. Two perfect sponges coming up!
Once the sponges have cooled, it’s time to start spreading the jam.
I used 4 tablespoons of jam here, but you can definitely go over/under. Totally up to you. I just wanted a thin layer to ensure that the jam didn’t explode out of the sides of the cake when I cut a slice.
The classic Victoria Sandwich Cake is usually filled with raspberry jam, but if you know anything about me, it’s that I’m a sucker for strawberry jam (hello, SB Jam Thumbprint Cookies), so that’s what we’re using today!
Anyway, once you’ve got the jam on there, it’s buttercream time. To get these nice big globs of buttercream (always a pleasant visual), I used my Ateco 808 piping tip. Is it just me or do they really look like dumplings here?
The first two times I tried to make this cake, I followed Mary Berry’s recipe and ended up with sponges that sunk in the middle. Oy. To be fair, the first time I made it, I did open the oven door while the sponges were baking which can cause cakes to sink in the middle.
Don’t be like me! Resist the temptation and leave your oven door closed!
The second time around, I left my oven door closed but the sponges still sunk in the middle. Why, you ask, while shaking your fist at the heavens? It all came down to the baking powder.
Mary’s recipe called for two whole teaspoons of baking powder, along with about 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour. FYI, self-rising flour has baking powder in it to begin with, so that’s a whoooole lot of raising agents in one batter. So what ended up happening was that the sponges continually rose to the point where they collapsed in the middle. Not good!
The solution? Less baking powder, of course! I adapted this recipe from BBC Good Food and gave it another go, this time using just one teaspoon of baking powder. I kept their flour and sugar measurements, but stuck with 2 sticks of butter for an extra buttery sponge and also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I’m also a sucker for butter, FYI. Bring on the calories, amirite?
As you can see, I opted for a pretty simple decoration here—just a light dusting of caster sugar (make sure to refer to my recipe notes and my list of tools/ingredients below for more information on caster sugar) and a couple of strawberries on top. After all, the sponges are the real highlight of the bake here. 😉
Once the cake is all set, cut yourself a slice and enjoy it with a cup of tea!
Here are the tools/ingredients I used to make this cake:
1. Two 8-inch round cake pans
2. Ateco 808 piping tip
3. Caster sugar
If you give this cake a try, let me know by dropping a comment below and rating the recipe. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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Victoria Sandwich Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: English
Description
Today, we’re making a Mary Berry favorite and a British classic—the Victoria Sandwich Cake! The deets: two light and buttery sponges sandwiched together with strawberry jam and a silky buttercream filling.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
- 4 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups (200g) self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling
- 4 tablespoons fruit jam or preserves
- 2 cups (200g) confectioner’s sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans using a nonstick spray.
- Whisk the self-rising flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat using an electric or hand mixer until light and fluffy at medium speed, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the mixture; you’ll want to make sure that each addition is fully incorporated before pouring in more egg mixture. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until just combined, taking care not to overmix the batter.
- Divide the batter up into your two cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. The sponges should be golden brown and the tops should spring back when lightly pressed with your finger.
- Allow the sponges to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Once the sponges have cooled completely, take your bottom sponge and place it upside down on your serving plate—you want the flat side facing up. Spread the jam over the top of the sponge.
- To make the buttercream filling, beat the butter in a bowl until soft, about 2 minutes. Add half of the confectioner’s sugar and beat until combined. Add the remaining sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. You can add more milk if you’d like, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency.
- Transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip and pipe the cream on top of the jam. Allow the buttercream to set for about 10 minutes. Once it’s set, place your second sponge on top to make a sandwich. For the finishing touch, dust the top with caster or confectioner’s sugar.
Notes
Don’t have caster sugar in your pantry? Don’t know where to find caster sugar? No problem! You may be able to find Domino Superfine Sugar in your local supermarket. Superfine sugar = caster sugar. Huzzah!
If you can’t find it in stores, you can make your own caster sugar by grinding a cup of sugar in your food processor/blender for 30 seconds. Easy peasy.
If you have a food scale at home, I definitely recommend weighing out your ingredients! The measurements are much more accurate that way, ensuring no mess-ups whatsoever.
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food.
*Calorie information is generated using an app and may not be 100% accurate.
Note: this post contains affiliate links.
Fantastic, this thing is the bomb. I just wish I could stop licking my fingers while making it!