Victoria Sponge Cake

Welcome to 2015!

I may be coming to the party somewhat slightly late but this is my first post in 2015! Life has thrown us a few curveballs recently and slowly but surely we are learning to deal with it all and attempting to resume normal life.

January is one of those months… both D and I have a busy January. Both our sisters and mothers celebrate their birthdays this month. That is four major days that arrive just after the drama (and cost) of Christmas. Lucky us! This week we see both our sisters grow a year younger and also my mother. So in honour of them, I start this years posting with a big birthday cake. Keeping it simple, I made my sisters favourite, the classic Victoria Sponge. Simple but oh soooo good.

I will admit that of late, I have taken my eye off the ball. Somehow for some reason, everything I bake has gone slightly awry. Usually due to me turning off the oven buzzer and saying to myself “just two more minutes” and then completely forgetting there is a cake in the oven. So we have been eating our fair share of ‘crunchier than normal’ cakes. Bless my sister, she has continued to say that crunchy is her favourite. However this week, in true Kitchen feasts style, there is always some drama in the kitchen. Not really drama per say this time but an odd scenario.

I was working away on the victoria sponge when I started to introduce the eggs into the cake mix. So I cracked the egg in and lo and behold it is a double yolked egg. I paused, looked puzzled and took a photo. I have never come across a double yolked egg before. And these were just our standard eggs that we buy every week. So I continue on and beat that little egg into the mix. Crack my second egg in, another double yolk, crack my third egg in and yet again, another double yolk. What are the odds? Egg number four… yes you guessed it, double yolk. All six eggs in one box were double yolked. Needless to say I had to ring someone so I rang my dad. He thinks I should ring the egg company and complain in the hopes of getting some free eggs, this made me laugh. But apparently double yolks are good luck, all I can say is bring it on!

But my little head was very confused. Do double yolked eggs change the dynamic of the cake? Turns out they do… A little less light and fluffy and denser in texture but the taste was still great, if not a little richer. So if making this, try avoiding the double yolks and now on reflection, one could scoop out the second yolk and pretend it didn’t exist.

CLASSIC VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE WITH BERRIES AND CREAM

For the cake:

•  175 g unsalted butter, softened , plus extra for greasing
• 175 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 175 g self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

To serve:

• 150 ml cream, whipped
• 4 tbsp jam, I use home-made mixed berry jam
• handful of raspberries and strawberries, sliced

THE HOW

Pre heat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan oven. Grease and line 2 18cm sandwich tins.

put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until really light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time and beating in between additions. Then add the vanilla and mix.

   

Sift in the flour a little at a time and fold into the creamy mixture. When all the flour is folded in, add the milk, a little at a time until you get a smooth dropping consistency.

   

Divide the mixture between the two baking tins and pop onto the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden in colour. Test the cakes by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean, the cakes are done. If not, place back in the oven for a minute or two and test again.

Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes and then remove, place on a rack and take off the baking paper. Allow to cool fully before finishing the cake with cream and berries.

   

To finish the cake, spread the jam on the top of the bottom layer of cake and also on the bottom of the top layer. Add the whipped cream and berries and sandwich the two cakes together. Dust with icing and if you have a few berries spare, place on the top.