My friend from Britain raves about her home country’s Victoria sponge cake. It’s a basic cake – sponge layered with freshly whipped cream and jam – perfect with tea or as a light dessert. I couldn’t figure out why she liked it so much until I made it myself. The sponge is light and fluffy and pairs perfectly with a sweet jam and an unsweetened whipped cream. The combination is so simple, but it works well. Sandwich them together and pretend you’re a contestant on “The Great British Baking Show.”
Victoria Sponge Sandwiches
Adapted from Tesco recipe
Makes about 8 to 10 3-inch hearts
Heaping ¾ cup (60 g.) granulated sugar
½ cup plus 3 Tbsp. (60 g.) softened butter
1 cup plus 1 heaping Tbsp. (160 g.) self-rising flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1/3 cup (80 ml.) heavy whipping cream
½ cup raspberry jam
Powdered sugar, for dusting
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a quarter sheet pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper and spray the sides.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla and continue to beat until fully incorporated.
• Use a spatula to gently fold in the flour until combined. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared sheet pan.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until lightly golden. The top should spring back when lightly pressed. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff. Set aside.
• To assemble the sandwiches, use a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter (or any other desired shape) to cut out 8 to 10 sponge pieces. Use a sharp knife to carefully halve the hearts horizontally.
• Spread a small amount of raspberry jam on half of the hearts, then top with a small amount of whipped cream. Sandwich with the remaining halves. Sift powdered sugar on top of the sandwiches.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
Amrita Song is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine.
This article appears in April 2019.