The best Victoria sponge

Name: The best Victoria sponge
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 225 g salted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus extra for greasing; 225 g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp to sprinkle; 4 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs, at room temperature; 225 g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp whole milk; 200 ml double cream (optional); 340 g jar raspberry jam

Martha takes the nation’s favourite teatime treat and recommends it to novice bakers.

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Vegetarian

Serves10
CourseCake
Prepare15 mins
Cook30 mins
Total time45 mins

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225g salted butter, cubed and at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp to sprinkle
4 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs, at room temperature
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp whole milk
200ml double cream (optional)
½ x 340g jar raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Generously grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins with butter and line the base of each with baking parchment. Test if the butter is soft enough by pressing it with the back of a spoon – it should squish easily.
Place the softened butter and 225g sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a large bowl and electric hand mixer. Cream together until pale and fluffy. The colour should change from yellow to almost white. This takes around 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Mix together the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, then fold through the wet mixture using a spatula. Stop mixing as soon as the mixture is smooth. Stir through the milk to make the batter slightly easier to spread.
Divide the mixture between the tins and level the top with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the sponge is golden on top and well risen. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Let the sponges cool for 10 minutes in the tins, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Pick the best-looking sponge for the top, and keep it top-side up so it doesn’t pick up the rack markings.
If using, whip the cream into soft peaks. Spread the jam over the bottom layer of sponge, then top with dollops of the cream. Sandwich the top layer gently onto the top, sprinkle with sugar and serve immediately. This cake is best eaten on the day of making.

Cook’s tip

Make it airy
The secret to an airy, lighttextured Victoria sponge lies in the creaming of the butter and sugar. As they are beaten together, air is trapped in the mixture, which creates the light texture when baked. Don’t skimp on this step – keep whisking until the butter is almost white.

Temperature control
For the best chance of success, ensure all your ingredients, particularly the eggs and the butter, are at room temperature before you incorporate them. Cold ingredients don’t whip up as well, thus less air will become locked in the mixture, resulting in a denser cake.

Softening the butter
To achieve room temperature, get the butter out of the fridge several hours before baking. If you’ve got a cold house, or simply forget, the easiest way to soften it is to cut it into cubes, place into a bowl and heat on low wattage (30%, or the defrost setting) for 5 seconds at a time, until you reach the desired softness. If the butter melts too much, it can’t be used for this cake, as the chemical structure will have changed, so start again with fresh cubes and keep the melted butter for toast or cooking.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe