My most favourite and quite easy cake to make and serve, when I’m having a master class workshop is a basic jam sponge, or as it was originally created … The Royal Victoria Sponge.
The cake’s name harks back to Queen Victoria herself, who was said to enjoy a slice of the delicious cake with her traditional English afternoon tea.
Just as in Victorian days gone by, in the afternoon on a workshop at the Exmoor Inspired Studio, there is aways an opportunity to take a tea break and enjoy a nice slice of this home-made cake with a cuppa.
Always people, ask me these two questions:
“How do you make your jam sponge so light?”
“What jam have you used? It’s delicious!”
So, here is the secret.
Firstly, set the oven to 180C, Select two round cake sandwich tins 20cm diameter. Cut two discs of grease proof paper (even if you are using the best nonstick tins…it will still stick, so cut the discs) draw around the tin with a pencil, cut out. Grease around the tin with light vegetable oil, then add the disc of grease proof.
While the oven is coming to temperature, gather all your ingredients:
6 oz of soft margarine (I use stork or similar cooking margarine, don’t use spread of any kind as it has a higher water content, and your cake will not be as successful)
3 x medium sized eggs
Note: I do get both my margarine and eggs out a couple of hours before I start cooking, the softer the margarine the better for mixing, although don’t be tempted to blast in the microwave…. disaster! believe me I’ve been there. I weigh everything accurately on my digital scales. I know my Nan only used guestimates and a spoonful of this and that, and was an amazing cook, but I prefer to leave nothing to chance.
6 oz Caster Sugar (caster as it mixes in well, granulated is too course)
6 oz Self raising flour
1x level teaspoon of baking powder
3x teaspoons of vanilla extract / essence
Grab a good-sized mixing bowl, and get out your hand-held food mixer, rather than using a food processor.
First in with the flour and the baking powder, give it a quick stir around to make sure all is distributed well. Next add everything else…yes all at once! Margarine, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Now get in there with your hand mixer, making sure all ingredients and well mixed and starts to become light and fluffy and looks a little paler in colour. Stop halfway to scrape down the mixture from the sides to make sure everything is well mixed together. Now divide into the two cake tins, gentle smooth evenly but don’t be too heavy handed here as you will push out all the air you’ve just taken time to whisk in.
Pop on to your middle shelf in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes…. Don’t peek in or open that oven door, as temperature drops will make your cake sink.
Get your cooling rack out on the side ready to receive the hot cakes shortly. Time for a cuppa at this point.
When the timer goes off, gently and slowly open the oven door, if they look done (Brown on top) lift one out and listen to it. If it’s hissing it is still cooking and put it back on the shelf for a couple more minutes and then check again. Check on both cakes as one may be done and the other just needs a little longer.
A silent cake is a cooked cake!
Once cooked place onto the cooling rack, (don’t turn out yet) leave to cool for a good 30 minutes to set. The rise in the sponge will drop slightly but shouldn’t dip in the centre if those cakes are cooked. After about 30 minutes, run a knife around the circumference of the tin and then turn out onto the cooling rack…now leave for a further hour before doing anything. I even leave the grease proof paper on the bottom which should still be sticking to the sponge. That can come off when you fill it.
Filling the cake.
Traditionally a Victoria Sponge is only filled with raspberry jam.
This is how I make the best tasting raspberry jam filling.
Firstly, dust some caster sugar onto the plate you wish to serve the cake on. I use a tea strainer for sprinkling my caster sugar, but you could use a sieve. This stops the cake sticking to the plate when you serve it.
Now place one of the sponges topside down onto the plate.
Get one jar of cheap raspberry jam (yes cheap jam, nothing fancy and nothing expensive). With a dessertspoon, slightly mix the jam in the jar until it is less set, and then spoon out about a 3rd to half the jar onto the cake, be generous, but work from the middle outwards and leave a 1 cm boarder around the edge, this will stop the jam spilling out when you place the top on the cake.
Now take a generous hand full of frozen raspberries (I buy a bag of frozen raspberries from the supermarket) and sprinkle these over the jam, place the next sponge on top, topside up. Don’t push down too hard as the jam will run down the cake. Now lightly dust the top of the cake with caster sugar.
Traditionally a Victoria Sponge is dusted with caster sugar.
The cake will be ready to eat in an hour once the raspberries are defrosted.
That’s the secret! Enjoy x