Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe with berries

„‚Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about.“ – John Mayer, and this is what all the students look forward to when a new semester begins in March.

„When will it finally be sunny again“ or „when can we chill in the sun again“ are things that go through people’s mind when summertime is around the corner.

But summertime is not just about chilling, barbequing and spending time around the sea. It is also a time when all the beautiful berries, which you can’t find in winter, start flowing into your nearby supermarket and taking the stage again.

Some people use this magical time to hold tea parties or even to impress their friends with an amazing summer berry cake that they made from scratch.

I know what you’re thinking, making a cake from scratch can be exhausting and nerve-racking but with this Victoria sponge cake recipe and easy steps you’ll be ready to go for a perfect sunset picnic at the lake.

Victoria Sponge Cake – what you’ll need:

For the sponge

Firstly weigh 3 large eggs in their shells.

Based on the weight, you need to measure and use the same weight of the following:

Softened unsalted butter
Caster sugar
Self-rising flour

You also need

One teaspoon of baking powder
A pinch of salt
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
One to two tablespoons of milk

For filling and decoration

400 g of Cream Cheese Philadelphia Yogurt (you can also use normal cream cheese, but I prefer the texture when it’s mixed with yogurt)
80-100 g of powdered sugar
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
350 g of strawberries
As much mixed berries as you like to put on the top

Victoria Sponge Cake – Method

For the sponge

Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 170°C.
While your oven is pre-heating, cream your sugar and butter together in a mixer, or use a hand-mixer if you don’t have one. You can also do it by hand, but it’ll take longer because you would need to reach a nice and fluffy texture.
At the same time crack your eggs in a separate bowl and mix them together.
Add the eggs slowly to the sugar and butter mixture while the mixer is turned to a low speed.
Once they are mixed together, it is time to add your dry ingredients. Sift all your dry ingredients together before adding them into the mixture. This will give the sponge more fluffiness.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches and gradually mix it in after each batch.
Whilst mixing add your vanilla and milk.
Once your batter is ready, add them in two separate 8-inch round tins and bake them for 25 minutes or until a stick comes out clean when you poke it in the middle.

Tip

Make sure you grease your tins before putting the mixture in so that the sponge comes out easily.

For the filling

Put all of you cream cheese in a bowl and mix it until it’s smooth.
Gradually add your icing sugar. While mixing taste the frosting in between to find the sweetness liking to your liking.
Add the vanilla extract for extra taste.

Once your sponge has come out of the oven and has completely cooled, it is time to structure your cake.

Assembling the Victoria Sponge Cake

Cut some strawberries in half to line them around the middle of the cake.
Put your first sponge into an 8-inch mould / pastry ring.
Line the half-cut strawberries around the ring. You could also fill the middle with whole strawberries. This is what I did for mine.
Pour your filling (but not all of it) into the mould until the level of the strawberries.
Place the second sponge on top of it and press it down softly to make sure that everything is compact.
Top the cake with the rest of your filling around 1-2 centimetres high.
Pile your mix of berries on top of the cake however you like. You could also add some drizzle of melted chocolate to give it a classy look.
Leave it in the fridge for an hour to chill.