Victoria Sandwich
With the introduction of baking powder by Alfred Bird in 1843 sponge cakes could now be much lighter in texture than previously. It is not clear whether the Victoria Sandwich, which is a descendant of the Pound cake, was named after Queen Victoria because she liked it or whether it was a patriotic gesture towards the British invention of this new raising agent. A proper Victoria Sandwich is filled with jam only, preferably raspberry, and the top is dusted with caster sugar. However, if you don’t want to be too strict and follow more recent adaptations then you can add whipped cream to the filling and decorate the top with fruit.
Preparation method
Grease the sandwich tins with butter.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Place the butter and sugar in the large mixing bowl and beat together with the electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in thoroughly after each addition.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the tins and level out.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes before transferring to the cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place one of the cakes top side down on a serving plate or cake stand.
Slather the top with jam and place the other cake on the jam, top side up.
Sprinkle the top with caster sugar and serve.
Note: I tend to prefer to use an electric hand whisk when making cakes so the recipes refer to this, but you may prefer to use a stand mixer, just use the beater for mixing cake batters and the whisk for egg whites and cream.
For tips on and advice see my guide on making cakes.
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