Victoria Sponge

Cake baked in 2014

To us Malaysians, sponge cake will be soft, cottony and airy with not much oil in the cake..but this cake will resemble to us.. a pound cake, where all measurements are equal, and it's sweet and buttery, not a bit like the sponge cakes we are used to.

Victoria Sponge is a classic English cake, is also known as Victoria Sandwich. It was named after Queen Victoria. Two layers of buttery cake sandwiching a layer of cream and jam.

I didn't want to use store bought jam as those are super sweet. When added to this cake, I don't think anyone in my household will be able to eat it. So, I made a tart strawberry jam to balance it up. I thought, traditionally, it was strawberry jam, but then much later on I read it was supposed to be raspberry jam. Raspberries are really tart and if made into jam, it will be a tarter choice compared to strawberry jam, if the raspberry jam was made it at home with less sugar.

Victoria Sponge

By WendyinKK
Ref: Baking Mad 

Cake
160gm self raising flour
160gm butter
160gm sugar
160gm eggs (3 grade B eggs)
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Filling
1/2 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream
125gm strawberries
1/3 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar or more

Topping
Icing sugar (must)
Strawberries and cream (optional)

Prepare cake.
1. Preheat oven at 180C/160(fan). Line two 8-inch pans and lightly grease the sides.
2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs one by one, beating well in between each addition.
4. Add in half of the flour and mix well. Add in milk and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add in the balance of flour and mix well.
6. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Level the batter.
7. Bake the cake for 20-23 minutes or until surface is golden and toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cake cool down before filling.

Prepare strawberry filling
1. Coarsely chop strawberries and mix with sugar and lemon zest. Leave it for 10 minutes.
2. Cook strawberries until mushy and thickens slightly to the consistency of ketchup.
3. Add in lemon juice, turn off the heat. Let it cool down before use.

Assembly.
1. Spread buttercream onto one piece of the cake.
2. Spread jam on top of the buttercream.
3. Top with another piece of the cake.
4. Sift icing sugar over the cake.
5. Let cake rest for an hour before serving so that the jam will be nicely absorbed and won't be runny.