Victorious Victoria Sandwich Cake

One of the many takeaways I got from watching “The Great British Baking Show” is that a proper Brit has an arsenal of savory and sweet treats to prepare for guests whether it is a grand Christmas dinner or an everyday tea time. This month’s challenge is a standard for any British home baker but new to this American gal: Victoria Sandwich Cake This cake is nothing fancy, but it is a decadent dessert perfect for afternoon or tea. My family devoured it after our Sunday dinner. The sponge was sweet and a bit dense, which was perfect for keeping the whipped cream and strawberry jam from soaking into the sponge. The cake had a simple decoration of sprinkled powder sugar. I am still working on my decorating skills (I was better at Chemistry than Art in school!), but I received rave reviews from my family indicating that the deliciousness of the dessert outweighed the imperfect display. This was quite easy to make, and since my recipe didn’t call for jam I bought “good jam (channeling my inner Ina). I felt like the sponges did not come out as high as I thought they would, but they ended up tasting great. Plus, the whipped cream and jam added a lot of height. I think my main issue is that I made too much whipped cream, and I used all of it. I didn’t mean to do either, but the result was an an extra scrumptious dessert that definitely looked homemade! I will definitely make this again. It was simple, fairly quick and delicious! I saw Kelly used Mary Berry’s recipe, so I decided to try King Arthur’s recipe for “variety”. Note: I opted to not include a simple syrup to pour over the sponge, as this seemed to be the only different between other recipes and didn’t feel like making a simple syrup. Once I am all moved in and able to bake, I will be more of a go-getter with these recipes! Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe Ingredients: CAKE * 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter * 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar * 3 extra-large or large eggs (I used large) * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract* (I omitted) * 1/4 teaspoon almond extract* (I omitted) * 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour *Not in the classic recipe, but it improves the flavor. FILLING * about 3/4 cup jam * 2/3 to 3/4 cup heavy cream * 1/2 teaspon vanilla extract * 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste * 2 tablespoons simple syrup or the flavored syrup of your choice (I omitted) Instructions: * Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8" round cake pans. * In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and smooth. * Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. * Add the extracts, if you're using them. * Add the flour, beating gently just until well combined. * Divide the stiff batter evenly between the cake pans; there'll be 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each, depending on the size eggs you used. * Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes, or until they start to pull away from the edges of the pans. Remove them from the oven, cool for a couple of minutes, and turn out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely. * When the cakes are cool, place one layer on a plate. Spread with the jam of your choice. * Whip the cream — 2/3 cup cream makes a medium-thickness layer of filling; 3/4 cup cream, a thick layer. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste, as you whip the cream until it's quite stiff. Stir in the vanilla at the end. * Spread the whipped cream over the jam. Top with the second layer of cake. * Brush the top of the cake with syrup, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired. Or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving. * Refrigerate the cake until you're ready to serve it. It'll be at its best within 12 hours; but is still quite good up to 2 or even 3 days later. The difference will be the whipped cream, which will gradually settle/compact. * Yield: about 12 servings. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/victoria-sandwich-cake-recipe