The Victoria sponge was named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea – who could blame her? No matter if it’s for a celebration or a good old natter with friends, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea and has been the go-to cake for centuries.
For those new to baking, the Victoria sponge can be a good starting point, and for baking extraordinaires, the cake can be a welcome step back to basics for a timeless classic.
A typical Victoria sponge consists of raspberry jam and whipped cream sandwiched between two sponge cakes. The top of the cake is not iced or decorated apart from a dusting of icing sugar. So simple, yet oh so very appealing!
Although a simple enough sounding bake, you’d be surprised just how badly things can go wrong. Because of its apparent ease, there isn’t really anywhere to hide if things don’t quite go to plan. In our opinion, there’s nothing quite as bad as getting your hopes up for a delicious slice of Victoria sponge, only to take a bite and find that the sponge is drier than the desert.
So, to stop any dry, tasteless Victoria sponges ever getting near our mouths again, we thought we’d let you all in on some secrets.
Good beating
The key to a good sponge is a thorough beating. The aim is to get as much air in as possible to create a light and airy sponge. The method that should be used is as follows: beat the butter with caster sugar, then gradually beat the eggs into the mix before finally folding the flour carefully into the mixture.
Remember to sieve
They don’t do it on The Great British Bake off for fun! You should always try to sieve your dry ingredients. Sieving the flour and sugar helps to add air as well as remove any lumps. It’s an extra step in the process but trust us, you can tell the difference.
Room temperature
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. It may sound silly but if they are too cold it will be harder for air to be whisked in. This makes it more likely that the mixture will curdle or separate, giving a heavy sponge.
The same can be said for butter. The butter should be soft rather than hard or warm. This will help towards a creamier sponge.
Cakes in Corby
The High Street Bakery only use the finest, locally sourced ingredients and modern equipment for bakes. We produce mouth-watering cakes that all of our customers love. We have four bakeries located in Corby and have much more than just cake. Come into one of our stores today!