Classic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe ~ this Victoria Sponge, aka Victoria Sandwich, is a British afternoon tea cake made with fresh whipped cream and raspberry jam sandwiched between two layers of fluffy yellow cake.  It’s really hard to resist.

The tradition of British afternoon tea began in the mid 1800s, during Queen Victoria’s reign.  The story goes that the classic Victoria Sponge was invented to lure the Queen out of hibernation and back into social life after the death of her husband, Prince Albert.  This cake has been a staple at afternoon tea in England ever since.  It’s such a simple cake, and one that everybody loves.

The Victoria Sponge is up there with CLOTTED CREAM and SCONES in the lexicon of the perfect afternoon tea. 

Do you know the difference between a sponge cake and a pound cake?

• Sponge cake and pound cake are cake cousins, their ingredients are similar but not the same: flour, eggs, and sugar for traditional sponge cakes, and add butter for pound cakes,
• A traditional sponge cake is made with separated eggs, with the whites whipped, so it has a lighter, ‘spongier’ texture.
• Traditional pound cake is made from equal weights of butter, flour, eggs, and sugar,
• Both recipes are quite old, going back centuries, but in modern times there are lots of variations on those original themes.

I decided to use a yellow cake mix for this Victoria Sponge.  It’s not technically a ‘sponge’, but I chose it for convenience, and because I think it has the perfect texture for this recipe.  I doctored the mix with a few tricks and I think it has a superior texture to many homemade cakes.  Using the cake mix means this Victoria Sponge is a fabulously quick project, and it stays fresh longer, which is always a plus.

This is a fun cake to put together ~ once your cake is baked and cooled you’ll flip over the bottom layer to get a flat surface, and then pile on sweetened whipped cream.  The jam is spread thickly on the second layer, which you’ll (gently!) flip over on top of the first.  Or vice-versa!

I wasn’t expecting to love this quite as much as I did ~ I’m normally more a fan of richer, chocolatey cakes…but this one took me by surprise.  The texture of the cake is so light that it doesn’t overwhelm the filling, and the vanilla flavor along with the tartness of the jam is wonderful.  You can’t go wrong with this one.

TIPS for a perfect Victoria Sponge Cake:

• Don’t beat the cake mix with electric beaters or a mixer, even thought the box tells you to do so.  I use a whisk and then a silicone spatula.  Small lumps are fine.  This produces a cake with a more homemade texture.
• Use a nice tart jam for the filling, it makes a big difference.  Raspberry worked better than strawberry for me.
• Don’t skimp on the jam or the whipped cream, a nice thick filling is important.
• Use a large sharp knife and don’t press too hard when slicing the cake or your soft filling will squish out.  I went in point first and used a small back and forth motion to cut cleanly without too much collateral damage ;)  A little bit of squishage is ok, and part of the charm of this cake.

Make this Victoria Sponge Cake your own ~

• Definitely try fresh berries if you like, either sandwiched inside the cake, or decorating the top.
• Many different jams would work well here, including a nice marmalade.  Let your imagination go.
• You could soak the cake layers in a little liqueur before adding the jam and cream.
• You can make a gluten free version using your favorite gluten free flour mix.