Victoria sandwich cake. Simply elegant & totally versatile. This was the bake that Mary Berry deemed one of the finest she’d ever tasted. Learn to perfect this bake and you’ll never have to worry when guests turn up. Made with store-cupboard ingredients, she is always my star bake!
Cake:
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar
225g Stork margarine, at room temperature
4 large eggs, beaten
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Filling:
4 tbsp raspberry jam
2 tbsp caster sugar
You will need 2 x 8 inch/20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins
Method:
– Preheat the oven to fan 170ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Butter and line the base of each cake tin with a disc of buttered baking parchment.
– Tip all of the cake ingredients into the bowl of a free-standing mixer and beat for 2 minutes until smooth. If you don’t have a free-standing mixer you can use an electric hand-held mixer.
– Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake tins and spread level using a palette knife. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden, well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
– Remove from the oven and carefully turn the cakes out of the tins, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool on wire racks.
– Place one of the cold cakes on a serving plate, right side up, and spread with jam. Top with the second cake and sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.
