Victoria sponge cake was a favorite layer cake of Queen Victoria and has become a classic British cake served at afternoon tea and other celebrations. It's filled with strawberry jam and vanilla whipped cream. Dust powdered sugar over the top if you'd like.
Ingredients
- baking spray:
- ½ cups all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal): 1 piece
- ½ teaspoons baking powder: 1 piece
- cornstarch: 1 Tbsp
- kosher salt: 0.75 tsp
- granulated sugar: 1 cup
- unsalted butter or margarine: 0.5 cup (softened)
- eggs, room temperature: 2 piece
- vanilla extract: 2 tsp
- whole milk, room temperature: 0.5 cup
- strawberry or raspberry preserves: 0.5 cup
- heavy whipping cream: 0.75 cup
- powdered sugar: 2 Tbsp (plus more for dusting)
- vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- strawberries: (for garnish, fresh, optional)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray; line bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly spray parchment paper with baking spray.
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Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder into a medium bowl; whisk in salt and set aside.
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Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. (The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color.)
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Beat in eggs, one at a time, on medium speed, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next, 1 to 2 minutes total. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla. With mixer on medium-low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk, beating until just combined after each addition.
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Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Let stand, parchment side down, on wire racks until cooled completely, about 1 hour.
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Remove and discard parchment paper. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Stir preserves in a small bowl until mostly smooth; spread in an even layer over cake.
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To make vanilla whipped cream: Whisk heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract by hand in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Dollop over jam, then spread into an even layer.
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Top with remaining cake layer. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with strawberries (if using).
