Hairy Bikers Victoria Sponge

Clotted cream and fresh strawberries fill this Hairy Bikers victoria sponge, so it eats like a summer dessert. The recipe sits in Brilliant Bakes at about 460 calories a slice, and takes 85 minutes plus cooling.

“We doff our caps to the WI for this one,” the book says, “they know what makes a good Victoria sponge.” Si and Dave borrowed the whole method from the Women’s Institute, because the WI way simply never fails.

Everything hangs on one old trick, because you weigh the eggs in their shells before anything else. The flour, butter and sugar then match that exact weight, which keeps the ratio right whatever size your eggs are.

Hairy Bikers Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dessert

Difficulty:EasyPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 25 minutesRest time: 30 minutesTotal time:1 hour 25 minutesServings:10 servingsCalories:460 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

This is the sponge to bake when strawberries are cheap and sweet, because the filling uses a whole punnet. Two golden layers sandwich the fruit, jam and clotted cream, and a dusting of caster sugar finishes the top.

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 4 medium or 3 large eggs
• Butter, softened, same weight as the eggs
• Caster sugar, same weight as the eggs, plus extra for dusting
• Self-raising flour, same weight as the eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp milk

For the filling

• 250g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp icing sugar
• 2-3 tbsp strawberry jam
• 1 x 113g pot of clotted cream

Instructions

1. Get ready: Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4, then butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line them with rounds of baking parchment.
2. Weigh the eggs: Weigh the eggs in their shells, then measure out the same weight of flour, butter and sugar. Mix the baking powder and a good pinch of salt into the flour.
3. Cream and combine: Beat the butter and sugar until very soft and airy. Add the eggs one at a time with a heaped spoonful of the flour mix, then fold in the rest with the vanilla and enough milk for a dropping consistency.
4. Bake the sponges: Split the mixture evenly between the tins, weighing them if you want identical layers. Bake for about 25 minutes until risen, springy and slightly shrunk from the sides, then cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Prepare the strawberries: Put the strawberries in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and the icing sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then leave them to stand for half an hour.
6. Fill the cake: Spread jam over one sponge and cover with half the softened clotted cream, then arrange the strained strawberries on top. Spread the rest of the cream on the second sponge and place it cream-side down, then dust with caster sugar.

FAQs

How do they make the victoria sponge with spiced cream?

Their British Classics book fills the same style of sponge with blackberries and a gently spiced cream. The cream is 250ml of double cream whipped just past soft peaks, then folded with 2 tbsp icing sugar, ½ tsp cardamom and ¼ tsp each of allspice, cinnamon and mace.

The 150g of blackberries sit in a spoonful of sugar first, so they give out their juices. A splash of blackberry liqueur is optional but lovely.

How is their olive oil victoria sponge different?

Everyday Winners has a twist version made with 150ml of light olive oil instead of butter, so there is no creaming at all. The batter simply pours into the tins.

The filling swaps to raspberries with orange-zested cream, which suits the oil sponge. The book warns against extra virgin oil, because its strong flavour would take over the cake.

Can I make this victoria sponge without eggs?

Honestly, no version in their books works egg-free, and this recipe least of all. The whole method builds every quantity from the weight of the eggs.

Removing them removes the recipe’s foundation, so an egg-free bake needs a recipe designed that way from the start. Theirs simply is not.

Why do the strawberries stand in lemon, salt and sugar first?

The half-hour stand draws the juice out of the fruit, so the berries turn glossy and taste more of themselves. The salt and lemon sharpen them against all that cream, which is why the filling never feels sickly.

Strain them well before they go on, or the juice soaks the sponge. For another bake where fruit does the heavy lifting, their bara brith soaks its fruit overnight in tea.

Can I turn this into a bigger celebration cake?

Yes, the book says to add an extra egg for a three-tier version, then scale every other ingredient to the new egg weight. And out of strawberry season, it suggests blackberries, raspberries or blueberries instead.

It also warns the filled cake will not keep because of the fresh cream, so build it on the day and fridge leftovers briefly. For a celebration bake that keeps for days instead, try their banana and pineapple cake.