Victoria Sandwich Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper.
• In a large bowl, beat 200g caster sugar, 200g softened butter, 4 beaten eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tbsp milk together until you have a smooth, soft batter.
• Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• Bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed.
• Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the filling, beat the 100g softened butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in 140g sifted icing sugar and a drop of vanilla extract (if you're using it).
• Spread the buttercream over the bottom of one of the sponges. Top it with 170g strawberry jam and sandwich the second sponge on top.
• Dust with a little icing sugar before serving. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil 2 x 18cm sandwich cake tins (preferably loose-bottomed) and line the bases with baking parchment. Tip the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and ground almonds into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the centre. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the yogurt and vanilla. Pour this mixture, along with the melted butter and oil, into the dry mixture (step 1) and stir briefly together with a large metal spoon until well combined.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 tins (step 2) and level the tops. Bake both cakes, side by side, for 20 mins until risen and beginning to come away slightly from the edges of the tins.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and loosen the sides with a round-bladed knife. Let the cakes cool briefly in the tins, then turn them out. If the tins are loose-bottomed, an easy way is to sit the tin on an upturned jam jar and let the outer ring of the tin drop down (step 3). Peel off the lining paper and sit the cakes on a wire rack. Leave until completely cold.
• Put one of the cakes on a serving plate and spread over the conserve (step 4). Put the other cake on top and sift over the icing sugar, or make a pattern (see tip below).

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8" round cake pans.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and smooth.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Add the extracts, if you're using them.
• Add the flour, beating gently just until well combined.
• Divide the stiff batter evenly between the cake pans; there'll be 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each, depending on the size eggs you used.
• Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes, or until they start to pull away from the edges of the pans. Remove them from the oven, cool for a couple of minutes, and turn out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely.
• When the cakes are cool, place one layer on a plate. Spread with the jam of your choice.
• Whip the cream - 2/3 cup cream makes a medium-thickness layer of filling; 3/4 cup cream, a thick layer. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste, as you whip the cream until it's quite stiff. Stir in the vanilla at the end.
• Spread the whipped cream over the jam. Top with the second layer of cake.
• Brush the top of the cake with syrup, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired. Or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
• Refrigerate the cake until you're ready to serve it. It'll be at its best within 12 hours; but is still quite good up to 2 or even 3 days later. The difference will be the whipped cream, which will gradually settle/compact.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, followed by the flour and baking powder. Add enough milk to the mixture so that it falls off a spoon easily. Divide between the tins and bake for 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and cool.
• To make the filling, beat the butter until smooth, then gradually beat in icing sugar. Spread butter cream on one cake up to the edges. Spread a layer of strawberry jam on top. Put the second cake on top and squash it down so the butter cream sticks out a bit. Press hundreds and thousands onto the butter cream with a teaspoon. This is messy, so put the cake plate on a tray to catch any that escape. Dust the top with icing sugar, if you like.