Perfect Victoria Sponge Recipe

An undeniable classic, Victoria sponge is one of the easiest cakes to make. Perfect for afternoon tea with sandwiches or alongside a fresh jug of Pimm's in the garden. Make sure to follow our top tips and you will be rewarded with the perfect sponge every time. 

The key to cake making is precision and organisation. Before you get started, make sure that your tins are lined and all of your ingredients are weighed out accurately. 

Incorporating air 

No one likes a heavy, dense sponge, so it's imperative that you incorporate and retain as much air as possible throughout the sponge making process. There are several ways to do this; 

A Victoria sponge uses the creaming method. This is when softened butter and sugar are beaten together until pale and fluffy. Creaming creates pockets of air and fat which results in a lighter and more plentiful cake mixture. 

Self-raising flour is always used when making a Victoria sponge to help keep it light and fluffy. Self-raising flour has an added chemical raising agent in it-baking powder. Baking powder consists of bicarbonate of soda, an acid and cornflour. The baking powder will begin to take effect as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, so it's important that you move as quickly as possible to get the mixture into the oven once the flour is added. If you don't have self-raising flour, a general guide is, use 2 level tsp baking powder to 225g plain flour. 

Sifting your flour into the butter and egg mixture will aerate it, further incorporating air into the mixture. It is important to gently fold the aerated flour into the mixture, using a large metal spoon, and until it is only just incorporated. This will ensure that as much as the air structure previously created, is maintained. 

Bring your bowl as close to the tins as possible when dividing your mixture between them. Don't drop your mixture from a great height, otherwise this will destroy the fragile air structure within the mixture. 

How do I prevent my mixture from curdling?

It isn't the end of the world is your mixture begins to curdle once your eggs are added. However, there are a few measures that can be taken to prevent this eyesore;

For baking in general, you'll get a lot more out of your ingredients if they are all brought up to room temperature. By adding eggs that are the same temperature as your butter, they are far more likely to emulsify, and therefore prevent curdling. Adding room temperature eggs, slowly and steadily, is key to a successful emulsion. However, if your mixture does split, then simply add 1tbsp weighed flour to the egg/butter mixture, beat, and it should re-emulsify.  

How do I know when my cake is cooked?

If you over bake your sponge, it will become dry and if you under bake your sponge, it will sink in the middle. Neither scenarios will impress your guests or family! So here is how you know your sponge is baked to perfection; 

• The sponge will begin to come away from the edges of the tin 

• Your sponge should be springy and firm to the touch 

• When a clean skewer is inserted into the middle of your sponge, it should come out clean

• It smells like cake!

It's important to bake your cake on the centre shelf in the oven and to keep the oven door closed throughout the baking process. Do not open the oven door until at least 20min into the cooking process to check your sponge. If the oven door is opened too early, the structure of the cake won't have had time to set, and it will cause your sponge to sink in the middle. 

Flavourings 

Below is a recipe for a plain Victoria sponge. Once you have perfected this, use the sponge recipe as a vehicle for any of your favourite flavour combinations! Get creative and try some of our suggestions;

• Fold lemon/orange zest into the mixture along with the milk in step 3 

• For a chocolate sponge, replace 1tbsp of the flour with 1tbsp cocoa powder

• For a coffee sponge, dissolve 4tsp instant coffee granules in 1tbsp warm water and stir into the mixture before adding the flour 

• Replace the strawberry jam with any of your favourite jams or curds 

• Flavour your cream with cocoa powder, spices such as ground cardamom or cinnamon, or citrus zest 

Baking a cake for a birthday? Take a look at our best birthday cake recipes here.