Baking the Perfect Sponge Cake

Let's start with a short history of my favorite sponge - a Victoria Sponge. The cake was named after Queen Victoria who always ate a slice with her afternoon tea. If you don't have the luxury of afternoon tea - it makes a great dessert cake too.

What makes this simple sponge cake different from other sponges is that the top of the cake is not iced or decorated. I'm not much of a decorator so this works well for me. All it needs is a dusting of powdered sugar. It traditionally has raspberry jam and clotted cream between the layers. Purist will say that if the cream is not Devonshire or Cornish cream it's not a true Victoria Sponge. If you don't live in the UK and have access to the cream - no worries. I've used fresh whipped cream, butter cream frosting and even a layer of Biscoff frosting.

I'm not a fan of raspberry so I'll use any jam I have on hand as well as chocolate ganache. Peach Prosecco preserve by Mrs. Bridges is my favorite.

I use a simple semi-homemade recipe for all my sponges. The traditional cake calls for 6" tins, but any size will do. I use the same recipe to make chocolate log rolls.

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350 

1 BOX ANY FLAVOR CAKE MIX  My favorites are  Duncan Hines yellow, white or devil's food. 

6 eggs  beat on high until lemon color

add 1/2 cup of water 

1/4 cup oil I like the hint of olive oil especially in chocolate cakes

Add cake mix

Bake for 15 - 20 mins or until the cake springs back when touched in the center

Devil's Food sponge log for July 4th

apple almond sponge

I've made the sponges more than a week ahead. It freezes great. I usually add my center or fill my roll before freezing. Wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap then tin foil and another layer of plastic wrap it comes out fresh. If I'm frosting the cake, I do it while it's frozen and leave it in the fridge until a couple of hours before I serve. It tastes even better the next day.

I want to thank my friend Alyssa Maxwell https://www.alyssamaxwell.com for the first photo with one of her lovely tea sets.

Enjoy!