Inevitable with five o’clock tea, a classic of English pastry making, here is the Victoria Sponge Cake. A soft cake, with a double filling of cream and strawberries that tastes like spring… All you need to do is invite Alice and the Mad Hatter to have an absolutely perfect five o’clock tea!
Ingredients
- 175 grams of softened butter
- 175 grams of sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence or the seeds of the pod
- 150 grams of 00 flour + 25 grams of starch (or 175 grams of 00 flour)
- half a sachet of baking powder (about 10 g)
- optional: 65 g of almond flour (it makes it more moist and soft)
Filling and covering
- 5 tablespoons of excellent quality strawberry jam
- clotted cream (if you have some available) or 6 tablespoons of fresh cream to whip with a tablespoon of icing sugar
icing sugar to decorate
Heat the oven to 180° and butter and flour an 18cm diameter springform pan (maximum 20cm).
In a bowl or in a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is soft and fluffy (it will take 7-8 minutes with an electric mixer).
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla extract with a fork.
Add it to the butter mixture little at a time, beating with the whisk until the mixture becomes homogeneous and compact. Add the flour mixed with the yeast one spoonful at a time, and continue to beat until the dough is homogeneous (it will be very soft and a little sticky). Pour it into the mold and level the surface.
Cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the surface is golden (test with a toothpick). The cake inside should remain moist so be careful not to dry it out too much. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. With a knife, make an incision on the edge of the cake halfway up, then either with a long-bladed knife or by sliding a sewing thread, divide the cake into two bases.
If you don’t have clotted cream, whip the cream with a whisk and mix by adding a spoonful of icing sugar.
Once cold, spread the jam on the surface of one base and spread the clotted cream or whipped cream on top and delicately cover with the other base.
Dust with plenty of icing sugar, place in the fridge and serve if necessary.
