Mary Berry's recipe is a great success, light and moist.
I've always had problems with Victoria sponges, with the sponge baking flat as a pancake. It makes about 8-10 slices and keeps in the fridge for 5-6 days.
4 large free-range eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
225g/8oz self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder *
225g/8oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
for the filling:
raspberry (or strawberry) jam ** - MB uses 450g - a whole jar! - but half this is also OK.
300 ml whipped cream ***
caster or icing sugar for dusting the top
** You can easily make the jam! Put 200g raspberries in a small deep-sided saucepan and crush them with a masher. Add 250g sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a shallow container. Leave to cool and set.
*** I prefer fresh cream but MB uses butter cream: 100g unsalted butter, softened; 200g icing sugar; 2 tbsp milk. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if the buttercream is too thick.
I've always had problems with Victoria sponges, with the sponge baking flat as a pancake. It makes about 8-10 slices and keeps in the fridge for 5-6 days.
- You will need two 20cm sprung cake tins
4 large free-range eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
225g/8oz self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder *
225g/8oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
for the filling:
raspberry (or strawberry) jam ** - MB uses 450g - a whole jar! - but half this is also OK.
300 ml whipped cream ***
caster or icing sugar for dusting the top
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan.
- Grease the sides and base of the tins with butter. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper.
- Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, flour, baking powder and soft butter. Mix everything together until well combined. Be careful not to over-mix – as soon as everything is blended you should stop.* The finished mixture should be of a soft ‘dropping’ consistency.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and gently smooth the surface.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Don’t open the door. The cakes should be golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins, and springy to the touch.
- Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Then run a knife around the inside edge and turn out onto a cooling rack. (Put a clean tea towel over the tin, put your hand onto the tea towel and turn the tin upside-down. The cake should come out onto your hand and the tea towel – then you can turn it from your hand onto the wire rack.)
- Set aside to cool completely.
- To assemble, choose the sponge with the best top, then put the other cake top-down on to a serving plate. Spread with the jam then the cream. Place the other sponge on top (top uppermost) and sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.
** You can easily make the jam! Put 200g raspberries in a small deep-sided saucepan and crush them with a masher. Add 250g sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a shallow container. Leave to cool and set.
*** I prefer fresh cream but MB uses butter cream: 100g unsalted butter, softened; 200g icing sugar; 2 tbsp milk. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if the buttercream is too thick.
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