Last year I entered a Victoria Sandwich into a local horticultural competition and was disqualified!!
Yep, you read right…..disqualified!!
And what was the awful deed I did to be disqualified……..I put buttercream between my layers of sponge and dusted icing sugar on the top.
Shock!
Horror!!!!
The competition was being run according to the Women’s Institute rules, and they don’t allow buttercream or icing sugar…..can you believe that?!!
Surely it says in the British constitution that a Victoria Sandwich must have a thick layer of Buttercream between two layers of cake!!!
What was particularly gutting was the comments on the cards were all great “lovely moist sponge” ” “nice and light” etc etc until you read at the end *no buttercream or icing sugar allowed* pfft!!
Now I know you’re probably thinking ‘but you should have read the rules’, but there wasn’t any printed. All it said was ‘to WI regulations’ and I tried, but I couldn’t find the regulations anywhere!
Anyway, this year will be different! This year I will make a stunning Victoria Sandwich and fill it with JUST jam, and this year I hope to win!!!!!!
Before entering last years competition I did a bit of research on how to make the best Victoria Sponge, and this is my perfected recipe. Of course you can make one big sandwich (a 3 egg recipe, will make a 6-7″ sandwich), or you can do as I did on this occasion, make individual portions by baking a sheet cake and using a round cutter to make Victoria Sandwiches for one.
Victoria Sandwich for One
This recipe is really easy to make either lots of, or a little of. It’s all to do with how many eggs you use. I’m going to use 3 eggs.
Weigh your eggs in their shells, and note their weight.
Use the same weight as your eggs of each of the following;
Self Raising Flour – sifted
Butter
Caster Sugar
And for every 3 eggs, use .5tspn Vanilla Essence.
Pre-heat your oven to 160c, 140c fan or Gas Mark 3.
Grease and line either 2 sandwich tins, or one sheet tin. This recipe can also be used for cupcakes.
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
Break one egg into a small bowl then add it to the mix and beat thoroughly. The reason I always break my eggs into a small bowl first is to ensure they are not bad, and because I have a bad habit of dropping bits of shell.
Add one table spoon of flour to the mix and beat thoroughly. This can all be done with an electric mixer.
Repeat until all the eggs are used.
Add the remainder of the flour and mix by hand with a large spoon until just combined.
Pour into your cake tins and bake. It will depend on how many eggs you’ve used and whether you are baking a sandwich, sheet cake or cupcakes as to how long they bake for. Generally speaking a 3 egg, 2 layer sandwich will take between 20 – 25 minutes.
You can tell when its done, when its well risen, golden on top, and a cocktail stick stuck in the centre comes out clean.
When its baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
When completely cool, the WI says you should fill with just Strawberry Jam (preferably home made).
I very naughtily added both jam (not home made) and buttercream and then dusted my individual sandwiches with icing sugar ……..but thats because I’m a rebel!!!
