The best Victoria sponge recipe, a classic British teatime treat
This Victoria sponge is the ultimate vanilla cake recipe, and a classic British teatime treat. It's a celebration of summer with the strawberry jam in the middle (try making it yourself!), but you can swap that out for something else if you don't have it to hand; try lemon curd for a tart alternative, or any other berry jam that's in season and you like. The key to a successful Victoria sponge cake is a light and airy sponge and this recipe ensures a good bake. We recommend serving it alongside our other afternoon tea recipes for a perfectly traditional occasion, such as chocolate fairy cakes. It's a classic for festive street parties.
Equipment
Ruth Clemens, a finalist on 2010's The Great British Bake Off, is a self-taught baker, cake decorator and very busy wife and mother.
Top Tips
- Good quality cake tins are one of the keys to the perfect sponge cake - they distribute the heat evenly allowing the cake to rise evenly as it bakes, avoiding the domed top effect.
- Turn the cake out onto a plate first and then onto a cooling rack so that they go onto the cooling rack base down, otherwise you'll end up with criss cross marks across the top of your cake.
