INTRODUCTION

I am not good at cake decoration, deal with cream and etc.… It is just not my area of expertise.. What I thought that it should work always turned out to be  a mess and spoil my cake.. I told members in my Facebook Group that I seriously think that I should go for a cake decoration course and cake cutting course..

No matter how good is my bake, without proper techniques of cake decoration and precise cutting, it will irk the readers too…

Hmmm, having said that, I still decide to issue the post on this famous bakes – Victoria Sponge Sandwich reputably name after Queen Victoria of England.. It is not the fault of the cake or recipe. In fact almost all recipe for this famous cake is the same, equal quantities of butter, flour, eggs and sugar. It is my inability to slice and decorate the cake and  I seriously hope that these few ugly pictures can convince readers to try this simple sponge cake..

A  few things to note about Victoria Sponge Sandwich cake as per Wikipedia:

• The Victoria sponge or Victoria sandwich cake was named after Queen Victoria, who favoured a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea. It is often referred to simply as “sponge cake”, though it contains additional fat.
• A typical Victoria sponge consists of raspberry jam and whipped double cream or vanilla cream. The jam and cream are sandwiched between two sponge cakes;
• The top of the cake is not iced or decorated apart from a dusting of icing sugar. 
• Although simple to make, Victoria sponge recipes are notoriously sensitive to cooking times and temperatures. As such, oven manufacturers often use a Victoria sponge recipe to test their oven.

Most Victoria Sponge cake recipes are the same and traditionally, it was baked in a round cake tin. For to day’s illustration, I have decided to bake in a Swiss roll tin of 9” x 10”. You can always used the baking tin your prefer.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare a 9” x 10” baking tin

• 150 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150 grams of self raising flour
• 150 grams of castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons of fresh milk
• 1/2 cup of fresh cream for whipping – Whipped until soft peak form
• 3-4 tablespoon of raspberry jam or any other jam
• Some icing sugar for dusting the cake

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. and lightly grease the baking tin or line the baking tin with parchment paper.

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and eggs, beat until well combined. The eggs should be added one by one . Sift the self raising flour, add the fresh milk, use a spoon or spatula to stir until well mixed. Transfer the batter to the baking tin.

• Baked in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes (for this size) or or until lightly golden brown and risen. Depending on the type of baking tin you use, the cake can get cooked rather easily and use the above criteria to judge if the cake is ready. It  should not extend beyond 30 minutes.

• Cool completely in a cooling rack. For assembly, cut the cake into 2 equal halves, choose the ugliest side to become centre of the cake. Spread the jam on top of half of the cake and followed by the cream. Top the cake with the other half of the cake and dust sparingly with icing sugar.

CONCLUSION

Pardon me for the messy frosting and I am sure you can prepare one that look more appealing than me. This cake is not a very sweet cake and it is definitely one of my top choices of tea cakes..

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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