Classic Victoria Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp milk
• 200 g caster sugar
• 140 g sifted icing sugar for filling
• icing sugar for dusting
• 200 g butter
• 100 g butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• vanilla extract
• 170 g strawberry

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Grease two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment — this is your insurance against a stuck sponge.
2. Tip the caster sugar, softened butter, eggs, self-raising flour, baking powder, milk and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. The salt is non-negotiable in a sweet bake — it lifts the vanilla and stops the sponge tasting flatly sugary. Beat with an electric whisk for 2–3 minutes until the batter is pale, smooth and drops easily off the beaters in a soft ribbon.
3. Taste the batter on the tip of a spoon — it should taste sweet but rounded, not one-note. If it tastes flat, a second pinch of salt sharpens everything up.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the two tins (weigh them if you want them truly level) and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, until the sponges are golden, springy to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean. The edges should just be pulling away from the tin — that shrink is your doneness tell.
6. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave until completely cold. Any warmth at all and the buttercream will slide straight out the sides.
7. Meanwhile, whip the softened butter on its own for 2 minutes until pale and creamy — almost white. Add the sifted icing sugar in two goes, beating well between each, then beat in the vanilla extract until light and fluffy. The buttercream should hold a soft peak on the beater.
8. Sit the first sponge on a serving plate, flat side up. Swirl the buttercream right out to the edges, then spoon the strawberry jam on top and spread gently — let it ripple into the buttercream rather than mixing in.
9. Place the second sponge on top, flat side down, and press lightly so the filling just kisses the edge.
10. Dust generously with icing sugar, scatter a few halved fresh strawberries on the plate alongside, and pour the tea. Serve in thick wedges — best eaten the day it's made; otherwise keep in an airtight tin and finish within two days.