Voluptuous Victoria Sponge!

It's classic bake time now! This Victoria sponge was a craving of my little sister's until we decided to get a plan together and make a yummy red and white Victoria sponge cake! Ally was my well equipped and up-for-anything helper in the kitchen and this is what all our hard work produced. I had never even had Victoria sponge before we made this lovely lady (with looks like that she would have to be a lady cake hehe). What a perfect saturday afternoon treat (and frankly we deserved a treat with the depressing rain the weather has been throwing at us)! This beauty came from a my go-to recipe lady, the wonderful Mary Berry and her book The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake. Her's was really the only recipe to use when baking a classic such as this. Here's how Ally and I made it...

VICTORIA SPONGE

225g unsalted butter, softened

225g caster sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

225g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tbsp milk, room temperature

Filling-6 tbsps good raspberry jam

(whipped cream)

Two 20.5cm sandwich tins, greased and base lined with baking parchment.

METHOD

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Put butter in a mixing bowl and beat until very smooth and creamy.

2. Gradually beat in sugar. Then beat mixture until it turns pale and fluffy.

3. Break eggs into small bowl and add vanilla and beat lightly with a fork. Slowly add this to creamed mixture whilst beating. If the mixture looks like it will curdle add a tablespoon of the flour.

4. Sift flour unto the mixture and add milk. Gently fold in the flour.

5. Spoon the mixture into the cake tins so they are equally filled. Spread the mixture evenly into the tins.

6. Bake for 20-25mins until a good golden brown. They should almost double in size in baking.

7.Remove from tins and cool. Then layer one half with raspberry jam and the other with the whipped cream and sandwich together. Dust with icing sugar and away you go!!

8. Plate up and chomp it down, yum yum yum!!

(P.s. I also added some whole raspberries to the jam, to give it a bit more fruity kick, woohoo :)!)

So there you have it, the wonderful Mary Berry strikes again ( I met her once, did I mention that, the word starstruck would be an understatement!). Anyway, I recommend that you try this cake, it is such a delicious classic that everyone loves. It would definitely be a winner with everyone you baked it for. Go on, you know you want to. Happy baking!

Rachael xx.

P.s. Does anyone else have baking idols? Or am I the only one with an unhealthy amount of respect and admiration for Mary Berry. It would be interesting to know who you admire :)!