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The Victoria Sponge, an absolute classic in the UK. This bake was used as my best friend's birthday cake. It's a smaller cake than usual as it was just for two people, however, you can always bulk up the recipe for more layers or wider tins.
The Sponge
All vanilla sponges are essentially the same. They have an equal ratio of flour, butter and sugar, and the number of eggs depends on the size of the cake. I find the most important parts of getting a good Victoria Sponge are the butter and the use of your oven. Making sure you start with room-temperature butter has a huge impact on your sponge. Butter that is too cold will cause your mixture to be lumpy, whereas if it's too warm the cake can come out short and dense.
With your oven, it's crucial that you allow it to fully get up to temperature before you put your cake in. Failing to do so can cause your cake to bake unevenly. Along with this, try to refrain from pulling your cake out of the oven to test it until absolutely necessary. Pulling a cake out of the oven before it's cooked through can cause it to collapse resulting in a very sad, flat-looking cake.
Decoration
I kept things pretty simple when it came to decoration. I did a simple vanilla buttercream for the interior and top and then used strawberry jam for the inside too. I piped a buttercream border around the edge of the bottom tier cake then applied a layer in the center with a palette knife. Most traditional Victoria Sponges use fresh cream for their inside however this cake needed to travel so I opted for buttercream this time round. I also dusted some icing sugar on top just for good measure.
*I used a 6 inch cake tin for this bake
Method
For the sponge:
Heat up your oven to 160c for fan ovens or 180c for non-fan
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, I usually beat my butter for about a minute on its own before adding the sugar to ensure it's airy. This generally takes about 2-3 minutes
Add in the eggs, flour and vanilla extract and then mix until all combined
Weigh out your mixture and split it evenly between two 6 inch cake tins
Place in the oven and bake for around 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed
Once cooked, remove from the oven and after about 10-15 minutes, remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack
For the buttercream:
Beat the butter until it is fluffy
Gradually add the icing sugar in increments
Keep mixing until the buttercream is all together and fluffy. If it is too stiff, add a few drops of milk, and if it is too wet add some more icing sugar
Once finished, add the icing to a piping bag with a round tip
To decorate:
Level your bottom sponge, then pipe a border of buttercream around the edge
Add buttercream to the middle of your cake using a palette knife and then add jam on top of this buttercream
Add the top sponge, then pipe a border of buttercream again on top
Add washed, halved strawberries around the border then dust the cake with icing sugar to finish
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