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Hello Daring Bakers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE:My Basic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe is a conventional tackle the beloved British dessert, made with gentle and ethereal sponge cake and stuffed with comfortable whipped cream and candy strawberry jam.
Easy and exquisite, there’s not a lot to enhance in a Basic Victoria Sponge Cake recipe. When you’re searching for a traditional, my Victoria Sponge recipe is the best way to go.
This traditional British dessert, also referred to as a Victoria Sandwich Cake, consists of two lighter-than-air layers of sponge cake “sandwiched” along with beautiful Irish cream and candy strawberry jam after which dusted with powdered sugar. When made proper and with high-quality elements, this humble cake is tough to beat.
A Basic Victoria Sponge Cake is ideal for a tea-time snack, and it makes for a festive cake for any celebration! I’m not one to cross it up for a candy breakfast with a cup of espresso, both.
Desk Of Contents
What Is Victoria Sponge Cake?
Victoria Sponge Cake, also referred to as a Victoria Sandwich Cake, is a well-liked British dessert made with two layers of sponge cake with jam and cream sandwiched in between.
The Historical past Of Victoria Sponge Cake
As you can most likely guess, given its title and being a British favourite, this cake was a favourite of Queen Victoria’s throughout tea time. Queen Victoria, to provide you context, reigned from 1837-1901 and is King Charles’s great-great-great grandmother.
The cake, which was initially made with solely eggs, noticed a increase in recognition as soon as baking powder was invented in 1843. Baking powder, which is a leavening agent product of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), an acid (like cream of tartar), and cornstarch, made making the right sponge cake even simpler.
As a result of when baked, the baking powder releases carbon dioxide within the batter. When air is heated, the molecules begin vibrating and get collided with one another creating more room. On this case, air expands to leaven baked items, which creates the sunshine, fluffy, and ethereal sponge cake construction.
Instruments You Want
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Two 8-inch (20cm) spherical cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment and whisk attachment (or giant mixing bowl with handheld electrical mixer)
- Mixing bowls
- Wire rack
Conventional Victoria Sponge Cake Components
- Butter: Butter doesn’t solely lend fats but additionally provides taste to the recipe. Be certain your butter is softened appropriately: whenever you push the butter and it makes an indent, however your finger doesn’t simply squish proper by means of.
- Granulated sugar: A little bit of white sugar sweetens the sponge cake.
- Eggs: I take advantage of giant eggs for all my recipes. Make sure they’re at room temperature earlier than utilizing.
- Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour works significantly better than all-purpose flour for these sponge desserts. Don’t fear for those who solely have all-purpose flour! You may Make Self-Elevating Flour at dwelling; all you want is all-purpose flour and baking powder.
- Baking powder: Including a contact of baking powder makes the sponge cake gentle and ethereal.
- Salt: Salt highlights all of the scrumptious flavors of the cake.
- Entire milk: I take advantage of full-fat entire milk for all of my recipes.
- Heavy whipping cream:Heavy whipping cream is the higher-fat layer (with a fats content material of 36%) skimmed from the highest of milk earlier than homogenization. It’s the important thing to straightforward but scrumptious Selfmade whipped cream.
- Strawberry jam: I like strawberry jam on this recipe, however see my Professional Chef Suggestions beneath for substitutions.
- Powdered sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. You may make it at dwelling and use it right here for dusting.
How To Make Basic Victoria Sponge Cake
- Utilizing a stand mixer or a handheld electrical mixer, cream the butter and sugar collectively till gentle and fluffy. Do that for not less than 5 minutes, if no more, for finest outcomes.
- Add the eggs, one after the other, till totally included. Then, slowly add within the flour till simply mixed. Lastly, stir within the milk.
- Divide the batter evenly between two cake tins which have been greased and lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven till a picket skewer inserted into the middle comes out clear.
- Enable the desserts to relaxation for five minutes within the pan, then invert them onto a wire rack to chill totally.
- Make the whipped cream by whipping the heavy whipping cream till medium peaks type, about 4 minutes. Medium peaks maintain their form fairly effectively besides that the tip of the height curls over on itself when the beaters are lifted.
- To assemble the cake, unfold the strawberry jam on prime of one of many cake layers. Then, unfold whipped cream on prime of the jam. Place the second layer on prime.
- Mud with powdered sugar and serve.
Why Use Self-Rising Flour In Sponge Cake? Self Rising Vs. All-Goal Vs. Cake Flour
Self-rising flour, alsoreferred to as self-raising flour, is a mixture of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and typically salt. The explanation why I take advantage of self-rising flour for sponge cake is that it ensures there are sufficient rising brokers within the cake batter to realize that gentle, fluffy texture you need from a sponge cake.
All-purpose flour additionally has a bit extra protein in it than self-rising flour, which suggests self-rising flour will yield a extra tender cake than AP.
Cake Flour is just not the identical as all-purpose or self-rising flour. Cake flour doesn’t include baking powder. On prime of that, it has a decrease proportion of protein and gluten, which suggests it offers you a lightweight product, however it can even have a decent crumb as a substitute of the ethereal texture wanted for the right sponge cake.
When you don’t have self-rising flour, study How To Make Self-Rising Flour at dwelling with my straightforward information. You solely want all-purpose flour and baking powder.
Can You Make Victoria Sponge Cake In Advance?
Since Victoria Sponge Cake has recent whipped cream within the center, it’s finest to serve the cake the day it’s made. Nonetheless, you can also make the cake as much as 2 days prematurely. Bake the cake off after which wrap it effectively with cling wrap and retailer it within the fridge. Take away the cake from the fridge after which assemble it together with your recent cream and jam. Enable it to come back to room temperature earlier than serving.
Can You Freeze Victoria Sponge Cake?
Victoria Sponge Cake, totally assembled with recent whipped cream and jam, doesn’t freeze effectively.
If you’re seeking to freeze this cake, I counsel solely freezing the cake itself. Let the cake cool fully, after which wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. It would preserve frozen for as much as 2 months. When you find yourself able to eat, enable the cake to thaw within the fridge in a single day. Then, carry it to room temperature, assemble it, and serve.
How Do You Retailer Leftover Victoria Sponge Cake?
Whereas the cake is finest eaten the day it’s made, you’ll be able to nonetheless retailer any leftover cake in an hermetic container for 1 day within the fridge.
Basic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe FAQs
What do I do if I don’t have self-rising flour?
Making self-rising flour at house is as straightforward as combing all-purpose flour and baking powder! Discover ways to make self-rising flour right here.
Do you want a stand mixer or electrical mixer for this recipe?
Regardless that a stand mixer or an electrical mixer would make this recipe simpler, it’s not unimaginable to make by simply utilizing good old school elbow grease. Remember that the cake is probably not as gentle if made by hand.
Are you able to make gluten-free Victoria Sponge Cake?
Sure! You may make this Basic Victoria Sponge Cake recipe gluten-free by changing the self-rising flour with gluten-free self-rising flour.
Why did my sponge cake sink?
Whereas tempting, it’s necessary to not open the oven door whereas the cake is baking.
The warmth and steam escaping may trigger the cake to sink. Your cake may have sank since you overmixed the batter, underbaked the cake, or let the cake batter sit out for too lengthy earlier than baking.
Gemma’s Professional Chef Suggestions For Making Basic Victoria Sponge Cake
- When making cake, at all times make sure that all your elements are at room temperature earlier than mixing or baking except in any other case said. Making certain they’re all at room temperature will yield the very best rise.
- Don’t skimp on time on the subject of creaming the butter! Remember to cream the butter and sugar for not less than the total 5 minutes till it is extremely gentle and fluffy. This step is so as to add air to the batter, serving to get hold of a fluffy, ethereal sponge cake.
- You may swap out the strawberry jam with every other taste of jam that you simply choose! Additionally, though it’s not conventional, you’ll be able to swap the jam for sliced recent berries or fruit.
- For an uncommon and scrumptious twist, make this with my Crème Fraiche Whipped Cream!
- If you need your cake to look a bit fancier, place a doily on prime of it and dirt the powdered sugar over it. As soon as eliminated, the doily will go away a beautiful design.
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