Victory Cake Recipes

VICTORY CAKE

Steps:

• Cream shortening and orange rind.
• Gradually beat in syrup blending for one minute.
• Add 1/4 of dry ingredients.
• Add eggs one at a time beating after the addition of each.
• Add the remaining flour and milk with flavoring added alternately.
• Bake in two eight inch cake pans in a moderate oven (350°F) for 30 minutes.
• Frost with lemon frosting.

WW2 WAR CAKE

Steps:

• Place the brown sugar, water, raisins.
• oil, cinnamon, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Cook gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool until the mixture is comfortably warm to your finger.
• While the mixture is cooling, preheat t he oven to 350F.
• Grease and flour an 8x4-inch baking pan.
• Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add them to the cooled sugar mixture, beating until no drifts of flour are visible and the batter is smooth.
• Stir in the walnuts.
• Spread evenly in the baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a broomstraw inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool completely.
• Notes: For a good glaze, even if it is a 90's addition, save back a bit of the hot spiced water.
• Mix with confectioner's sugar, a drop of vanilla, and a pinch salt. Glaze the cake while hot.

SERVICE CAKE WITH VICTORY ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour an 8-inch-square cake pan. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix together the milk and vanilla.
• Cream the shortening and sugar. Mix in the eggs. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk mixture. Pour into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, 30-35 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack.
• For the icing, bring the corn syrup to a boil. In a mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. With the mixer running at high speed, drizzle in the hot corn syrup. Beat in the salt, lemon extract and orange extract until the icing has a creamy texture, about 2 minutes. Cut the cooled cake into 2 layers and spread each layer with the icing.

VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease two 8 by 3-inch or 20 by 8cm round cake pans, then line them with greased parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
• Turn the mixer speed to medium-low, add the superfine sugar and vanilla to the butter, and mix until incorporated. Then turn the speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl often.
• Turn the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Scrape the bowl after each addition.
• Add one-third of the flour to the butter mixture and mix on low speed, just until incorporated. Repeat with another one-third flour until just incorporated. Add the final one-third flour. It will be a thick batter.
• Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops using a small offset spatula. Gently tap the pans on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
• Bake until the cakes are golden and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the quartered strawberries, granulated sugar, lime zest, and pink pepper (if using). Allow to macerate until the sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the parchment paper and place one cake layer on a serving plate.
• Spread the jam over the top of the cake, then cover the jam with a 1-inch or 2.5cm layer of the whipped cream. Distribute half the macerated strawberries over the whipped cream.
• Place the second cake on the whipped cream and dust the top generously with confectioners' sugar and decorate with whole and halved strawberries.
• This cake is best served right away, with the remaining macerated strawberries and whipped cream, but any leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice and use a fork to break up the raspberries just enough to produce a bit of juice. Set over medium-low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often.
• The jam is ready when it clings to a spoon and you can draw a line through the jam that doesn't immediately fill in. Remove from the heat and let cool thoroughly.
• Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla and beat on medium speed (you read that right) until just thick-it will start to leave marks from the whisk in the cream.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using the whisk attachment, continue whipping by hand for several seconds until the cream reaches the desired consistency; this way, you can ensure the mixer won't take it too far. Whipped cream is best used right away.

VICTORY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• Cream the shortening and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using an electric mixer at medium speed.
• Blend in the corn syrup and egg yolks.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients alternately with coffee to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Beat egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form.
• Fold egg whites into cake batter.
• Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 45 minutes or until cake tests done.
• Cool in pan on rack.
• NOTE: This cake recipe dates from WW II and as you can see, sugar was very precious and in short supply.

VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch springform pan.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in vanilla. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• This cake can be served as is, just dusted with confectioners' sugar. Alternately, cut the cake in half horizontally and sandwich the layers together with jam or custard.