8 Inch Victoria Sponge Tins Recipes

VICTORIA SPONGE - CELEBRATION CAKE!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/170ºC fan and line three 20cm/8inch cake tins.
• In a large bowl, beat together the unsalted butter and caster sugar until combined.
• Then, add your eggs, whole milk, self raising flour and baking powder, and beat until combined again - but be careful to not over beat.
• Divide the mixture equally between the three tins and smooth it over.
• Bake for 25 minutes until the cake is golden and springs back (a skewer should also come out clean).
• Turn the sponges out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool fully.
• Beat the unsalted butter with an electric mixer until it's smooth and loose.
• Then, gradually beat in the icing sugar & vanilla extract.
• If the icing is too stiff, add 1 tbsp whole milk at a time to get your desired thickness!
• Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the top of one of the sponges, then spoon on half of your jam.
• Place the second sponge on top and repeat the process - finish with the third sponge, and any left over buttercream on top!
• Add some fresh strawberries, perhaps a sprinkle of icing sugar and serve!

MARY'S VICTORIA SANDWICH WITH BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins: use a piece of baking or silicone paper to rub a little baking spread or butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper.
• Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, flour, baking powder and soft butter. Mix everything together until well combined. Be careful not to over-mix - as soon as everything is blended you should stop. The finished mixture should be of a soft 'dropping' consistency.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
• Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Don't be tempted to open the door while they're cooking, but after 20 minutes do look through the door to check them.
• While the cakes are cooking, make the jam. Put the raspberries in a small deep-sided saucepan and crush them with a masher. Add the sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a shallow container. Leave to cool and set.
• The cakes are done when they're golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check - they should be springy to the touch. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Then run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tin and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• To take your cakes out of the tins without leaving a wire rack mark on the top, put the clean tea towel over the tin, put your hand onto the tea towel and turn the tin upside-down. The cake should come out onto your hand and the tea towel - then you can turn it from your hand onto the wire rack. Set aside to cool completely.
• For the buttercream, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if the buttercream is too thick. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
• To assemble, choose the sponge with the best top, then put the other cake top-down on to a serving plate. Spread with the jam then pipe the buttercream on top of the jam. Place the other sponge on top (top uppermost) and sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.

VICTORIA SPONGE

Steps:

• You will need 2 x 20cm / 8-inch sandwich tins Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F. Grease the sides of the tins with a small amount of butter and line the bases with baking parchment. You can make the sponge with a processor - in which case just blitz all the ingredients together (except for the 2 teaspoons of sugar and the milk) including the extra half-teaspoon of baking powder, until you have a smooth batter, and then, with the motor running, pour in 2 tablespoons of the milk slowly down the funnel until the mixture has a soft, dropping consistency, adding the third tablespoon only if necessary - or you can make it with an electric mixer and, indeed, the old-fashioned way, by hand; and if either of those is this case, start by creaming the butter and sugar, that's to say, beating them vigorously together until very light and fluffy. Add the teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat that in, too. In another, smaller, bowl mix together the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt. Beat one egg into the creamed butter and sugar, followed by one tablespoon of the flour mixture and, once both are absorbed, continue in this manner until all 4 eggs are used up. Give a good scrape down, and then, gently, gradually but thoroughly beat in the rest of the flour mixture. Once everything's smoothly combined, start beating in the milk, one cautious tablespoon at a time (you shouldn't need more than 3) until your batter drops easily off the beaters, paddle or wooden spoon when lifted up out of the bowl. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared tins, and smooth the tops a little. Place side by side in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the deep burnished gold tops of the cakes are delicately springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean. Take them out of the oven and leave on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before turning them out and removing the parchment. Choose which cake you want on top - generally when I bake, I choose the thicker cake for the bottom layer, but with a Victoria Sponge, I go for the one which I think will look most appealing - and place that layer with the top uppermost to stop the rack leaving an impression. The bottom layer should be cooled top-side down, so as to help diminish any doming. Allow the cakes to cool completely. If needed, you can keep the cooled cakes on the wire rack, draped with a clean tea towel, for a couple of hours before sandwiching. When you are ready to serve the cake, put the bottom layer on its serving plate, top side down, so that you are sandwiching the two flat sides together. Beat the jam in a cup or small bowl, just to make it easier to spread, and then duly spread it over the waiting cake. Put the raspberries onto a plate and lightly fork to crush them a little and add them evenly to the layer of jam. Whip the cream until it's thick but still with a little softness to it, and spread it gently over the jam and fruit. Place your second cake on top, and then sprinkle over the 2 teaspoons of sugar to give the cake a light, sparkly dusting. Eat immediately and with joy in your heart.

CLASSIC VICTORIA SANDWICH RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper.
• In a large bowl, beat 200g caster sugar, 200g softened butter, 4 beaten eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp milk together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
• Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• Bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed.
• Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the filling, beat the 100g softened butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in 140g sifted icing sugar and a drop of vanilla extract (if you're using it).
• Spread the buttercream over the bottom of one of the sponges. Top it with 170g strawberry jam and sandwich the second sponge on top.
• Dust with a little icing sugar before serving. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.