Victoria sponge
SERVES 8 COOK AND PREP TIME 1 HOUR (+COOLING TIME) 4 eggs, at room temperature 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 ½ cups (225g) self-raising flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup (80ml) milk
225g butter, chopped, softened 300ml thickened cream
250g crème fraiche 2 tablespoons icing sugar
¾ cup (240g) raspberry jam 125g raspberries BUTTER CREAM 125g butter, softened
1 ½ cups (240g) icing sugar 1 ½ tablespoons milk few drops rose pink food colouring
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fanforced). Grease and flour 2 x 20cm round cake pans; line bases with baking paper.
2 Place eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, milk and butter in the bowl of a large food processor. Process until well combined. Divide mixture evenly between pans; smooth tops.
3 Bake cakes for about 25 minutes. The cakes are cooked when they are golden brown and coming away from the side of the pan. Leave cakes in pans for 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire racks to cool.
4 BUTTER CREAM Beat butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar, then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Tint with colouring.
5 Beat cream, crème fraiche and icing sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until firm peaks form.
6 Split cakes in half. Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread with onethird each of the jam and cream mixture; sprinkle with one-third of the raspberries. Repeat twice, ending with a cake layer.
7 Gently spread Butter Cream over top and side of cake, scraping the side to give a “naked” cake effect. Decorate with fresh flowers or extra raspberries, if desired. Unfilled cake suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.