Victoria Sponge

Victoria sponge cake

This recipe is good for one 8-inch sponge cake or 20-24 cup cakes

Simple basic recipe

200g  salted butter, softened

200g  sugar

4 medium eggs

200g  self-raising flour

100 ml of sugar syrup (your choice-recipe at end)

Preheat the oven to 180 C , 350 F or gas 4

1) Place butter , sugar and flavouring in a bowl (mixer works well) use paddle attachment , cream together until pale and fluffy.

2) Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add this to the mix, while paddling on medium speed. Should the mixture start curdling, no problem, just a little flour and continue.

3) Once egg and butter mixture is combined, sieve in the flour at low speed.

4) Pour batter in a lined baking pan

TIP:  When making sponge cake, there are many times that it will rise more in the center, just spread it slightly higher around the sides and it will bake evenly.

For cup cakes, fill it 2/3

Bake cup cakes 12-15 minutes and 25-45 minutes for large cakes. The sponge is cooked when it springs back to the touch, and sides are coming away from the tin or when inserting a clean thin knife, it should come out clean.

Once baked , let it rest for 15  minutes. Prick the top of the sponge with a wooden skewer then take a pastry brush , and pass it over, basting the cake until syrup in used. The sponge should be still warm when applying syrup.

Vanilla Syrup: 6 Tbsp water, 75g  sugar, 1 tsp vanilla

Lemon syrup 6 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 75g sugar, 1 Tbsp Limoncello liqueur

Orange syrup : 6 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 75g sugar, 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier Liqueur.

This recipe is your basic victoria sponge, its the flavouring that makes it so nice.

If you have any tips or another recipe, please feel free to add.

Petals.

Siduri,

I have only known this recipe as victoria sponge. There is a famous cake decorator in London England who uses syrup in her cakes and has made cakes for the royal family, here is some of her work, in fact syrup between cakes (and I use something extra....) is not new. I agree with your comments on terminolgy, can be difficult . Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Siduri,

Some of those jam and cream cakes can be quite tasty. They are even better when freshly cut fruit gets added in.

We have sites like this to help us understand terminology  , and the ingredients that separate and define one cake/dish  from another.

@ Magy : good to hear from you, sponge can be tricky . I welcome any cooking tips you have to offer.

Thank you for sharing.

Petals.