Straight forward Victoria sponge recipe makes 'perfect light and fluffy cake'

Whipping up the perfect can be quite the balancing act, with two crucial elements to get right. You need your vanilla sponges airy and feather-light without falling apart, while the icing must hit that sweet spot of being lusciously creamy without overdoing the sugar.

Every baker seems to have their own version of this British afternoon tea staple, but Matt Webster, culinary and taste specialist at Seasoned Pioneers, has shared his foolproof take on the classic Victoria sandwich cake. Spilling the beans on his secret mix, Matt remarked: "This simple is something the whole family can enjoy!

READ MORE:

"The key to a perfect light and fluffy sponge cake is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin, as cold ingredients will lead to a dense and heavy cake.

"If you want to minimise the sweetness of the sugar and bring out the creaminess of the buttercream, just add a small pinch of salt."

Victoria sponge cake recipe

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• Four large eggs
• One vanilla pod
• 200g self-raising flour
• One teaspoon of baking powder
• Two tablespoons milk
• Strawberries (to garnish)

For the filling

• Four tablespoons raspberry or strawberry jam
• 100g butter
• 200g icing sugar

Method

Get things started by preheating your oven to 180C and giving two round cake tins a good grease and lining them with baking parchment.

Take a mixing bowl and whisk the butter and caster sugar until it turns pale and fluffy, reports . Chuck in the eggs one at a time, giving it a proper beating after each addition.

Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder into the bowl and fold it gently until everything's mingled nicely. Pour in the milk and scrape out the vanilla pod seeds, then stir softly until the mixture is silky smooth.

Evenly distribute the cake mixture between the two tins and level the tops with a spatula. Pop them in the preheated oven for roughly 20-25 minutes.

For the buttercream, whip together the 100g of butter and 200g of icing sugar until it's light and fluffy. Once the cakes have fully cooled down, slather the jam over the bottom layer, followed by the buttercream.

Position the second layer of cake on top and garnish it with a dusting of icing sugar and strawberries.