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–+ servings
Victoria sponge cake. Two layers of light vanilla sponge cake sandwiched with strawberry jam, soft whipped cream and extra strawberries. Recipe by movers and bakers
4.75 from 4 votes

Victoria Sponge Cake

My take on the classic quintessentially British Victoria sponge cake. Featuring a light, airy sponge sandwiched with vanilla buttercream, strawberry jam, and added strawberry slices. This is the ultimate afternoon tea classic.
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the cakes

  • 110 g (½ cup) unsalted butter
  • 165 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar
  • 215 g (1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 125 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) yogurt (I used Greek)

For the filling and decoration

  • 120 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) good quality strawberry jam
  • 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) double (heavy) cream
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 4-5 fresh strawberries, sliced (optional)

Instructions

For the cakes

  • Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Grease and line two 6 inch loose bottomed cake tins, then set these aside whilst making the cake.
  • Beat the butter until soft and paler. Add in the caster sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and beat again until the mixture resembles damp sand.
  • In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the eggs, vanilla and yogurt. Add ¾ the wet mixture in with the flour mixture and beat to combine. The batter will be thick. Tip in the remaining wet mixture and beat again until combined, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Turn the speed up to a medium and beat the cake mixture until lighter and silky.
  • Immediately, divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins and bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes. When done, the cakes will be golden and well risen, shrinking slightly from the sides, and a wooden skewer poked in the middle will come out clean or with a few damp crumbs. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the filling and decoration

  • Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the filling. Place the double cream in a large mixing bowl, add in the vanilla and icing sugar and whip until it starts to thicken. Give it a final few turns by hand to thicken to a soft peak and set it aside. Slice the strawberries into about ¼ inch slices and set aside.
  • Level the bottom cake layer, if required (eat the top as perks of the chef!). Place the bottom layer of cake on your plate or cake stand. Spread the jam evenly over the top of the cake, then gently spread the whipped cream over the top, levelling as much as you can. Place a layer of sliced strawberries over the vanilla whipped cream before topping with the second layer of cake. Dust generously with icing sugar and serve. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Use ingredients at room temperature when making the cake. The reason for this is simple: ingredients all at room temperature will combine better and make for a better bake! The only exception to this rule is the double cream. This is because cream whips up better and more easily when it is cold. Use everything else at room temperature.
  • Beat the butter well at the start of making the cake. You want it light and smooth and pale for the best Victoria sponge cake results.
  • When beating the cake mixture before baking, make sure to beat at a medium speed. Mixing it too high will result in too much air going into the cakes, leading to it collapsing after rising during baking. You want to incorporate some volume, but not so much that is causes the cake to collapse.
  • Make sure the cakes are completely cool before decorating. This is especially important in this bake, as the cream will just melt if the cakes are warm. I make mine the evening before, so they cool completely overnight before being decorated.
  • The additional strawberries in the middle layer are totally optional. I love the extra flavour of strawberries, but this can easily be omitted.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 350kcal
    Course: Afternoon tea, Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: All-in-one Victoria sponge, British Afternoon Tea Cake, Classic Victoria Sandwich, Moist Victoria sandwich recipe, Strawberry Jam and Cream Cake, Traditional British baking, Victoria Sponge Cake

    Nutrition

    Calories: 350kcal