Mary Berry Victoria Sponge

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C/ Fan/375°F/Gas 4.
• Prepare the sandwich tins
• Grease the tins on the bottoms and up the sides and line the bottoms with baking parchment.
• Making the Cake Mix
• Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter.
• Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer, if the butter is soft enough you could just use a wooden spoon, do not over mix, you need to combine the ingredients until they just come together
• The mixture should just fall off the mixers blades or the wooden spoon easily.
• To stop the bowl moving whilst mixing, roll up a damp teatowel and make it into a circle on the worktop, then place the bowl in the middle.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the tins
• Smooth the top of the cake mixture with a silicone spatula to make them even.
• Baking the Sponges
• Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes.
• Check them after 20 minutes.
• The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently in the middle and they should spring back.
• You can also push a thin skewer or cocktail stick through the top and it should come out clean
• Set aside to cool in their tins for 10 minutes.
• Building the Cake
• Run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• To assemble the cake, place one cake onto a plate and if there is a slight dome gently level the top off with a sharp knife.
• Spread it with plenty of jam and whipped cream (if using)
• Place the second cake on top and sprinkle over the caster sugar.
• The perfect Victoria Sponge