Victoria Sponge

With many failed attempts at making sponge cakes, I had given up making them. Then I read about a Victoria Sponge over at Sarah Cooks. Sarah said this sponge was extremely easy and fool proof. So I thought I would give it a go.

The sponge was really easy to make, and even when I didn't have self-raising flour and substituted it with plain flour mixed with baking powder, it still worked really well. The cake tasted very good, not as light as a normal sponge, more like a sponge mixed with a butter cake. Nonetheless, this will now be my default sponge recipe unless I really need a light sponge for some reason. I'm still to find a fool proof light sponge recipe. If anyone knows one, please suggest it to me.

The sponge cakes can basically be filled with whatever you want. I just went with some whipped cream with a bit of sugar and berries.



Victoria Sponge
From Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess

INGREDIENTS
225g unsalted butter, very soft
225g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
25g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder (if using processor)
3-4 tbsp milk

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Butter and line 2 x 21cm tins.

2. If you are using processor, put all ingredients in at once except milk and blend until mixed. Then add milk gradually until mixture has a dropping consistency.

3. If you are making with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.

4. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add spoonfuls of flour between each egg.

5. Fold in the rest of the flour and cornflour.

6. When everything is incorporated, add a little milk as needed to get the dropping consistency.

7. Pour batter into tins and bake for 25 minutes.

8. Leave cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes before turning out.