THE MOUNTAIN COTTAGE KITCHEN
Victoria Sponge Cake
Servings 10 slices
Calories 400kcal
Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter softened (2 sticks / 1 cup)
- 205 g granulated sugar plus extra for dusting (about 1 cup)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 230 g all-purpose flour (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp)
- 25 g bread flour (3 tbsp + 1 tsp)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 70 ml milk whole or 2% at room temperature (¼ cup + 2 tsp)
- Raspberry or strawberry jam
Equipment
- Two 8-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Kitchen scale optional, but recommended
- Wire cooling rack
Method
- Preheat the oven to 365°F conventional. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together for 2–3 minutes, until creamy and lighter in color.
- While the butter and sugar are mixing, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Crack the eggs into another bowl, add the vanilla extract, and whisk until combined.
- Add a small splash of the beaten eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, followed by a spoonful of the flour mixture. Mix briefly after each addition, repeating until it has all been incorporated.
- Gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients, then stir in the milk until just combined. The batter should be soft and thick but should drop easily from a spoon or spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and gently level the tops.
- Bake on the center rack at 365°F for 22-24 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Leave the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them onto a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Place one sponge layer on a serving plate and spread generously with raspberry or strawberry jam. Place the second sponge on top.
- Dust lightly with sugar before serving.
I like to weigh the filled pans to make sure the batter is divided evenly!
Notes
Room-temperature ingredients: For the smoothest batter, bring the butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before baking. Taking them out about 45 minutes beforehand usually works well.
Storage: Store covered at room temperature for 2–3 days. If adding fresh cream, refrigerate the cake. The unfilled sponge layers can also be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months.
Baking at lower elevations: This recipe was developed and tested at approximately 8,600 feet in Woodland Park, Colorado. If baking closer to sea level, use 225 g all-purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 225 g sugar, and about 30 ml whole milk, and bake at 350°F conventional for about 20–25 minutes, beginning to check at 20 minutes. Omit the bread flour. All the other ingredients remain the same.
