dillymug 
I made this cake nearly a month ago now but due to life being a little chaotic (the joys of being a teacher such as parent’s evening, governor meetings and residentials to the Isle of Wight!) it’s only now it’s half term that I’ve found the time to catch up on a few posts. I wanted to make a classic Victoria sandwich to showcase the vanilla and plum jam I made recently. We had a training day at school, which I was leading, so needed something to keep everyone happy! I’ve made a few Victoria sandwiches in my time and have always been lucky to have not experienced any disasters. I decided to opt for a Jo Wheatley recipe from ‘A Passion for Baking’. There are lots of different options for filling your cake such as buttercream, fresh cream and fresh fruit. Some people will insist it should only be filled with jam with a sprinkling of caster sugar on the top. I opted for buttercream with my homemade jam. It certainly went down well at school and was gone within 15 minutes!
Apologies for the photos not being great – this was made on a Sunday evening and then finished in a rush before I left for school on Monday morning! You will need two 20cm sandwich tins greased and lined with baking paper (I used slightly smaller 18cm tins and this was fine.)
Ingredients:
For the cake:
200 grams self-raising flour
200 grams caster sugar
200 grams Stork (or other baking spread equivalent – I used Aldi’s, at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (I used extract)
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs (beaten)
1 egg yolk
For the filling:
Buttercream
300g icing sugar
75g unsalted softened butter
3-4 tablespoons of milk
Jam of your choice
Caster sugar or icing sugar for dusting
Method:
1) Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line the base of each cake tin with a disc of buttered baking parchment.
2) Place all the ingredients into a free-standing mixer and beat for two minutes until combined (if you don’t have a free-standing mixer you can use an electric hand-held mixer).
3) Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake tins and use a spatula or palette knife to level the surface.
4) Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden, well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
5) Remove from the oven and carefully turn the cakes out of the tins. Peel off the parchment and allow to cool on wire racks.
6) While your cakes are cooling prepare the buttercream. Beat the butter in the bowl of a free-standing mixer until smooth (alternatively you can use a hand-held mixer). Gradually add the icing sugar and milk and beat on a slow speed to combine. Beat for 10 minutes until soft and light, adding a little more milk if necessary.
7) Once the cakes are completely cool place one of the cold cakes on a serving plate (or stand) and spread with jam (and buttercream if using). Top with your the other cake.
8) Finish off with a sprinkle of either caster or icing sugar.
