Classic Victoria sponge cake

Perinteinen englantilainen ‘victoria sponge’ kakku

I served this English classic at my pop-up brunch last weekend.  Moist vanilla cake filled with vegan vanilla butter icing and homemade raspberry jam.  The cake is named after Queen Victoria, who apparently was fond of a slice of sponge cake with her afternoon tea!  While this cake is often forgotten and replaced with fancy modern cakes, I like the simplicity and the memories it evokes of my childhood.  If you like you can use shop bought jam to speed up the process, however I really recommend making your own, ready made jam can be overly sweet in an already fairly sweet cake.

Victoria Sponge cake – serves 10 to 12

Dry ingredients:

320 g flour (gluten free if necessary)

200 g sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

a good pinch of salt

 

Wet ingredients:

4 tsp vanilla extract

2.5 dl / 250 ml plant based milk

1 dl / 100 ml plant based yoghurt

1.2 dl/ 120 ml oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

 

For the Jam:

200 g frozen raspberries

80 g jam sugar

juice of half a lemon

 

For the vegan butter cream:

400 g icing sugar, sieved

125 g vegan butter/ margarine

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp plant based milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c. and grease and line two 23 cm loose bottomed round tins.

In a large bowl, lightly mix all the dry ingredients together.  In a separate bowl lightly whisk the wet ingredients together.

Pour the wet ingredients on to the dry ingredients and quickly whisk into a smooth batter.  Half into each of the two tins.

Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the jam.  Add the raspberries, sugar and lemon to a small saucepan and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  The jam will thicken as it cool.

To make the butter cream add the sugar and vegan butter to a bowl, or I prefer to use my Kmix with the creaming tool.  Mix until the butter and icing sugar are fully incorporated and they become light and creamy.  Add the vanilla and milk and mix well.  Your butter cream should be light and smooth.

Remove one of the sponges from its tin.  Spread the top with the jam, before using a piping bag to pipe over the butter cream.  Remove the remaining cake from the tin and carefully lay atop the buttercream.

Finally dust the top of the cake with a little icing sugar before serving.