3 days Ago By Angela Patrone
Mary Berry’s Victoria sandwich cake recipe makes for the perfect sweet treat to bake for your mum, grandma or auntie this Mother’s Day . With her signature approach, you’ll layer scrumptious cakes around strawberry jam and lusciously whipped double cream and finish it with a light sugar dusting for eye-catching flair. Although the ingredients list might look simple, Mary’s recip e emphasised the importance of one particular ingredient - baking spread .
The baking queen claimed that “the secret to a perfect sponge” is to mix in 225g of baking spread that’s “straight from the fridge” on a low setting. When making any type of cake, I’ve always left my baking spread or butter out to get to room temperature before using it, so this seemed a little strange. However, I was very pleased with the results of the sponge - both layers came out moist and they had even risen taller than usual when I followed this recipe .
I made one slight change to the finishing touches of the cake, and that was to dust it with icing sugar instead of caster sugar. Four free-range eggs 225g of caster sugar 225g of self-raising flour Two teaspoons of baking powder 225g chilled baking spread, plus a touch more for tin greasing Top-tier strawberry jam Icing sugar, for dusting on top I started by preheating my oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4, then greasing and lining two 20-cm sandwich tins. To make the sponge, it’s a very simple all-in-one method that involves cracking the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then adding the sugar, flour, baking powder and cold baking spread.
I used an electric hand whisk on a low setting to mix everything until smooth, but a wooden spoon will work too; it will just take a little longer. For those using a hand or stand mixer, avoid overmixing, as this will result in your cake collapsing in the oven. The cake will have too much air and not be able to maintain its own structure.
Next, I divided the mixture between the two tins. You don’t need to be overly precise, but if you want to ensure an even split, use scales. I used a spatula to scrape all the mixture from the bowl and gently levelled out the tops of the cakes.
Both cakes should be placed on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes. However, they should be checked after 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’ve turned a beautiful golden-brown colour and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the tin.
If they spring back when lightly pressed, they’re ready. I left the sponges to cool in their tins for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, I added whipped cream to one side and jam to the other before assembling and finishing with a dusting of icing sugar.
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