This week is a special one for Caking It because the recipe is a cake and not cupcakes..! Who's shocked?! I am thrilled to share this with you, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed baking it!
Here in the UK, we've had a heat wave and its definitely feeling like summer. Because I like to do bakes inspired by the season (you can get my Sweet Spring Lemon Curd Cupcakes here) I couldn't think of a better bake than Victoria Sponge for summer.
I've adapted the recipe from my Vanilla Butterfly Cupcakes and it's a dream! The sponge is light and fluffy, and the vanilla buttercream and strawberry jam are a foolproof combination.
It's a glorious treat for your summer garden parties and barbeques.
I covered mine with pink vanilla buttercream and decorated with strawberries, mini meringues, white chocolate shavings, and a white-pink chocolate ganache because it was a celebration cake for a birthday. If you're going for something simpler then you can skip the buttercream and decorate with just the strawberries.
One useful trick I use for filling cakes is to create a rubber-ring shape in the buttercream and fill this with jam. You'll find your jam does squirt out everywhere and you have nice, neat edges.
Once your cake is filled, put the other layer on top and spread a thin layer all over to lock in the crumbs. Rest in the fridge for an hour to set and then you can decorate with buttercream and the rest!
You'll notice this cake is two layers, but the recipe will make enough for a 3-layered cake as well.
The sponge is gloriously fluffy, and the satisfaction of getting a bite of buttercream, jam and sponge is the best!
I find this level of buttercream to be a good ratio with the sponge, and the addition of a white chocolate ganache (white I died pink) drizzled across the cake, and strawberries drizzled in white chocolate, is a delicious combination.
If you are making the white chocolate drip, ensure it's a different shade pink to the buttercream so it stands out!
This is a beautifully simple cake that you can have fun with and decorate how you like. Go to town with your decorations and get that wow factor!
Let's get Caking It.
Recipe
180C (170C fan)
8" cake pan
Yield: 16 slices
Prep: 30 mins
Bake: 22 mins
Assembly: 2 hours
Ingredients
Sponge
300g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
6 medium eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
300g gluten free self-raising flour
1 1/2 tsps gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
4 tbsp sour cream
Filling
Strawberry jam
Frosting
300g unsalted butter
600g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Milk
Pink gel food colouring
Ganache
100g white chocolate
80g double cream
Pink gel food colouring
Strawberries
Mini meringues
White chocolate
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Method: Sponge
Don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are room temperature before starting.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 or 3 cake pans with parchment and grease with a little oil.
With an electric whisk, cream the butter until pale, then add the sugar and cream together until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with an electric whisk between each addition. Now add the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum with a fork, and then add this to the mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
Spoon in the sour cream and fold until combined.
Split evenly between the two or three cupcake pans and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Place in an oven for 22 minutes if baking 2 and 20 minutes if baking 3. A skewer or toothpick inserted into the cakes should come out clean.
Method: Buttercream
This buttercream is so simple and yet it hits the spot every time. If you're not decorating your cake with buttercream, then make 1/2 the recipe.
While the sponges are cooling, move onto the vanilla buttercream.
Cream the butter until pale, and gradually add in the icing sugar until it is all incorporated. You can do this either with a standing mixer, an electric hand whisk, or a fork. At this point the mixture should be a little stiff.
Add the vanilla extract and a splash of milk and mix. Remove a third of the buttercream and use this to fill and crumb coat your cake.
With the rest of the buttercream add a few drops of food colouring until you get the desired colour.
Method: white-pink ganache
This is my super easy white chocolate ganache but with a pink twist! Wait until your sponges are coated before making this.
Chop the white chocolate into chunks and place into a glass bowl.
Heat the double cream in a jug in 30 second increments until steaming and pour this over the white chocolate
Let it sit for 2 minutes and then mix until fully combined. Add some pink gel food colouring until you get the desired colour.
Assembly
Make sure the sponges are completely cool before assembling.
Spread a 1ittle of the white buttercream onto one of the sponges and create a ring around the edge of the cake.
Fill the middle with jam and place the other sponge on top. If you are making 3 layers repeat this process with the other layer.
Spread a thin layer of the white buttercream across the entire cake and let it set in the fridge for an hour.
Once refrigerated, cover your cake in a layer of pink buttercream to your desired thickness. Let sit in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
Now make your ganache, the place in a piping bag with a small round tip and drip down the sides of the cake.
Now you can decorate however you like! I used leftover buttercream and dyed it a deep pink to pipe swirls on top. Then I drizzled strawberries in white chocolate, let sit, then placed on the cake, along with mini meringues, white chocolate shavings, and daisy cake decorations.
Enjoy your beautiful cake!
