Sunday, June 12, 2022

Victoria Sponge Sandwich, a Sunday recipe by Celia Wakefield

Julia Spencer-Fleming: It's always a good Sunday when we have a delicious recipe from Honorary Red Celia Wakefield! Today, in honor for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and several June birthdays, she shows us how to make the scrumptious and surprisingly easy English tea-time classic, the Victoria Sponge Sandwich. We have pictures of the process throughout, and at the end, two videos to walk you live through making your own jammy treat.

 

 

Good morning JRW’s all, I am still coming down from a Platinum high not to mention an appearance from my favorite bear, Paddington, named after the station from which I travelled to Cornwall so many times when I was younger. Weekends filled with pomp, ceremony and pure rejoicing are far too few. I hope you all will forgive me for a little nostalgia as I look back seventy years. 

 

 

 

 

Picture me sitting on a splintery wooden floor with a group of other kids listening to the radio marveling at the sounds of HM’s Coronation coming to us via the BBC World Service radio. Why was I not watching television? I was at boarding school in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), there was no TV on the island. The sound of Handel’s magnificent choral anthem, ‘Zakok the priest’, has created lifelong joy for me and whenever I hear it played I must sing along. Victor is six months younger than the Queen so I hold then both close and wish good health to Her Majesty.

 

Artist Eleanor Tomlinson's sketch has been seen worldwide!

 

Debs wrote the previous Sunday wishing that she could have a Victoria sponge sandwich for her Birthday - sending Happy Birthday belated wishes to Debs and to Jenn, and to any other Red with a June birthday. In talking over with Julia what I might make for Sundays treat we decided that a Victoria sandwich was the cake of the week and there was probably one on the table for the Queen’s tea with Paddington. I bet it had marmalade in the center too. 


I reasoned that Victoria sponge had some reference to Queen Victoria, but was most surprised to learn that sponge cakes were first written about in the seventeenth century. “The earliest attested sponge cake recipe in English is found in a book by the English poet Gervase Markham, The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman (1615)”. There is an interesting comment stating that as most women were not taught to read at that time, books such as these were read principally by the gentry and clergymen. A pleasant change from the volumes of sermons available for ones edification according to Miss Jane Austen. 

 

However thanks to Mr. Alfred Bird, creator of Birds Custard, a much loved dessert confection, we can still eat it today. Mrs Bird was allergic to eggs, a necessary part of custard making, Mr. Bird, a chemist, started experimenting and created baking powder to be added to liquids to thicken them. He was so successful that we are still using Birds custard powder today instead of making that sauce from scratch. And why was it so successful? Well it takes skill not to curdle the custard mix. There are many examples of this on the Great British BakeOff. The inclusion of baking powder into the kitchen made it possible to bake with butter rather than just using egg whites to rise a cake, as volume is the goal. 


Let’s make a Birthday Cake for Debs and the rest of the June birthday folk and check out my skill level. While I wish that I had you all here to celebrate, this is my best attempt with my gracious sous chef, Julia. 


I don’t know when I last attempted a Victoria Sandwich. Tea on my grandparents lawn in the summer and a Victoria sandwich to enjoy after one had filled up on regular sandwiches is a warm childhood memory. Closing my eyes I can see the house front, the very scummy pond that outlined the edge of the property, the daisies in the grass, let’s make a daisy chain. For that careful work one does need a well grown thumb nail.


 

 

The Victoria sandwich cake still reigns supreme, and the reason for this may well be Mary Berry. Most of you may know Mary Berry from The Great British BakeOff. But doing a little research I found she was publishing recipes in magazines as far back as1966 - but I missed her writings. Probably because I was a bit of a food snob in those days reading Elizabeth David, Constance Spry and Robert Carrier, making recipes from the London Sunday Times, not reading ‘womens’ magazines, shame on me. 

 

Just to be clear before I start I am copying both these recipes to give you something for comparison, but the baking skill or lack of same will be mine with Julia as the judge. I am going to use the measures from Mary Berry, as she is using an 8” cake pan, whereas my Constance Spry Cookery Book stipulates a 7” pan. Here are a couple of photos with the older recipe. 


Image

Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge sandwich *


Ingredients

 4 free-range eggsImage



To serve

Method

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins*. Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little butter* around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated, then line the bottom with a circle of baking (parchment) paper.

     

     

     

  2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and (softened)* butter. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you’re mixing to stop it moving around. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.

      

  3. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn’t need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.

     

  4. Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. *Check them at 20 minutes. The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch. Cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and *carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. 

     

  5. To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar / confectioners sugar.

     

     

     

     

     

     


  • Celia’s hacks, Look for the * in the text for my comments.


  • Plain flour is used in the USA. Self raising flour is harder to find though I believe it may be ordered on line. Just add 2tsp baking powder to each 8 oz of flour used. 1 Cup of flour is equal to 5 oz in weight.

     

  • Castor sugar is a finer grade than granulated sugar. I put 8 oz sugar in my mini prep and whirled it until I could see the granules become fine.

     

  • I find cake pan sizing most confusing, my pan measures 9” across the top but 8” across the bottom. 

     

  • I used the butter paper to carefully smear butter over the base and sides. Then I floured the two pans. It doesn’t say so in the directions but this technique does work. 

     

  • I chose the more traditional method by creaming my butter first with an electric mixer. This method both saved time and churned the butter to a lovely pale cream color before I added sugar and eggs. However next time I make this I shall do it all by electric mixer and then blend in the flour using a wooden spoon.

     

  • A palette knife has a long flat, flexible blade, very useful in baking.

     

  • When turning the cakes out run the palette knife or spatula around the edge, then with cover pan with a kitchen towel and turn onto the wire rack. This will avail wire marks on the cake.

My cakes were cooked at 20 minutes.


Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge recipe is from BBC Food.

 

  

 

59 comments:

  1. Okay, that doesn't sound too intimidating, Celia . . . thanks for the recipe; I'm definitely trying this.

    As for the many snippets of Platinum events that aired over the weekend, I think the Queen having tea with Paddington was my favorite . . . .

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    1. Joan, I hadn't seen it until Celia told me about it - so totally charming. Kind of reminded me of the way she interacted with "James Bond" (Daniel Craig) at the start of the London Olympics.

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  2. CELIA: Thanks for the recipe. I had also assumed (wrongly) that the cake had a connection to Queen Victoria. I also have 9" round cake pans, so I will see how the cake turns out.

    And yes, I did enjoy watching parts of the Platinum Jubilee events including the Trooping the Colour & military flyover on Thursday. That Paddington Bear sketch was adorable, and shows the Queen's sense of humour. For me, I enjoyed watching one CBC TV segment. The crew had special access to Windsor Castle. They showed us never-before-seen Canadian gifts and photos from the official archives & the Queen's personal collection that has connections to her many visits to Canada as both Princess and Queen.

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    1. Agreed, Grace. That CBC segment was fascinating.

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    2. Oh, I wish we could have seen that here! Didn't one of the royal couples honeymoon in Canada?

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    3. JULIA: You CAN the CBC segment via Youtube. Inside Windsor Castle: Hidden treasures and connections to Canada.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztmwntk1df0

      And I think Prince Harry & Meghan's honeymoon was in the Canadian Rockies.
      https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a20942032/prince-harry-meghan-markle-reportedly-honeymoon-in-canada/

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  3. What a delight, both of you! Thank you for sharing this. It looks delicious.

    Boarding school in Sri Lanka, Celia. What a different era that must have been.

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    1. I'm trying to get Celia to write down her memoirs, Edith. Her childhood and teen years really were part of the last of the British colonial system.

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  4. Lovely! And happy Jubilee to Celia and Victor! My favorite part was Paddington and the marmalade sandwich. I've made a similar white cake with whipped cream frosting from the Joy of Cooking for years, but it has a cup of milk and separated eggs. I look forward to trying your sponge cake recipe! Question: jam or fresh fruit?

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    1. Margaret, jam is definitely the traditional go-to, but one can put almost anything sweet and spreadable inside, so I'm sure one of those fruit spreads would work as well. Celia and I were saying it would be delicious to try with lemon curd, as well.

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    2. Fresh raspberries mixed with the whipped cream, or fresh, sliced peaches. Yum!

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  5. That looks luscious, Celia! Thank you, as usual, for sharing your kitchen whiz expertise with us. Even when I don't choose to make the dish you demonstrate I still learn valuable tips.

    Long live the Queen. She is a remarkable woman, and I so loved that Paddington Bear bit. It was utterly charming.

    Also, Mary Berry gets around! I was watching the sixth episode of this year's Chelsea Flower Show, and there she was, opening voting for best large garden, and talking about the fernery she is creating in her own garden.

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    1. Women like that always amaze me, Karen. How do they find the time and energy to DO all that stuff?

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  6. Yum! Thanks for the stories and the cake, Celia. I love your videos produced by Julia.

    As for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, I didn't watch as much as I thought I might, but what I caught I enjoyed. What huge crowds turned out to mark the occasion. The Paddington Bear sketch was utterly charming; I loved it.

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    1. It does seem to have been a huge hit, Amanda! And I love making the videos. Some day, we should get another camera behind us to show the often chaotic "making of--" !

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    2. A blooper reel! Oh yes, please :)

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  7. Thanks for the recipe Celia--it looks delicious! I remember Dom Sci (domestic science) class at school in England and trying to get my American head around using a kitchen scale, so thanks for providing the US equivalents. Happy June Birthdays! I'm thankful for the Queen and for Mary Berry as well.

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    1. Gillian, one thing I've learned while watching Celia cook is the importance of a good kitchen scale - and that goes three times over when baking. Mine isn't as good as hers (no surprise) but I'm thinking of upgrading.

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    2. I bought a nice digital scale a couple of years ago and I love. I used it much often that I imagined.

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  8. How nice to have you back, Celia! I've come across Victoria Sponge in books for years and never quite knew what it was. Well, now I know and I am sure it is delicious! I'm thinking the Victoria in the name was because it was a favorite of Queen Victoria. Am I wrong? I had not seen that little drawing of the Queen with Paddington so I am so glad you shared it.

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    1. Honestly, Judi, I had always pictured a cake that looked like a sponge, with lots of holes in it! The recipes for sponge cake go way back, as Celia discovered, but this particular iteration of the dessert, with two cakes sandwiching a sweet filling, was one of Queen Victoria's favorites. I'm starting to see why the queen got rather plump in her older years...

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  9. Thank you, Celia and Julia, for a lovely beginning to this Sunday! What a beautiful conversation and a beautiful cake! Elisabeth

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  10. CELIA: Thank you for this lovely post. It brings back wonderful memories of when I could eat Victoria sponge cake before I learned that I was allergic to diary and gluten. Perhaps one of these days I can try a dairy free and wheat free version of the recipe? Love the Platinum Jubilee. Loved everything especially the Queen and the Paddington Bear having marmalade sandwiches.

    Happy Sunday,
    Diana

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    1. Diana, Celia's daughter has Celiac's, so she's become quite adept at gluten-free cooking. It might be an interesting challenge to see if she can create a gluten-free sponge cake. I suspect a dairy-free version would be harder, because the butter is a major part of the flavor.

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    2. Julia, thanks! I found Vegan and Dairy Free Butter, though. So it's possible.....

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  11. You'll notice I'm leaping in here to answer questions as best I can - poor Celia's back went out yesterday, and so she's spending today resting and gently stretching. If she feels well enough to sit at her laptop, she'll pop in, but meanwhile, I'm your hostess today!

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    1. CELIA: Get well, a bad back is a real pain.
      JULIA: I posted the Youtube link to the Windsor Castle CBC segment under my original post above.

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    2. Thank you, Grace! I wish we could embed videos and images in the comments (says the woman who still can't get her Google profile to work here...)

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    3. You're welcome, JULIA. FYI, since most of us are book nerds, the Windsor Castle segment starts with views of the Royal Library before focusing on the Canadiana portion. The video is about 9 minutes long.

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    4. Celia here - Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and wishes for my back. Not so bad today but I am taking it carefully. Also as some of you have experienced, Blogger doesn't love us as it should and sometimes, in fact many times the comment will be deleted. Lets see how this goes. Many thanks to everyone for reading my writing - Celia

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  12. Oh, Celia, feel better!

    The cake looks luscious, and it sounds so simple! I've been scouring the internet for a lemon drizzle with US measurements to no avail. May have to substitute a Victoria Sponge. Yum. With marmalade to honor Paddington and the Jubilee.

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    1. Kait, I think it would make a super base for other types of baked goods. The cake is sweet, but not TOO sweet, and has a wonderful dense-but-moist crumb.

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    2. CELIA - Thank you Kait, feeling improved from yesterday. And here is the lemon drizzle cake from the Food Channel - https://foodchannel.com/recipes/ultimate-lemon-drizzle-cake-recipe - with cup measurements. Good luck!

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  13. Debs asks for a Victoria Sandwich and Celia provides. This group is truly wonderful.

    I love the tidbit about baking powder. (Reminds me of a friend who says one day "I'm going to make an apple pie." "Have you ever made a pie crust before?" I ask? "It can't be that hard," he says, "It is just chemistry." It was a pretty good pie.)

    The Elizabeth/Paddington drawing is charming.

    I won't be baking a cake, but I am going to check my Mrs. Beeton's for the sponge recipe, just for laughs. It is impossible to make anything out of Mrs. Beeton's! I don't own cake pans, so there is that, too. I always thought the "Victoria" was the sandwich not the sponge.

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    1. CD, I have THE WHITE HOUSE COOKBOOK (written by a chef who worked there in the Garfield administration!) that has those same impossible to follow directions. "Add lump of suet as big as your fist," or "Stir in enough flour." That era of cookbook was definitely all about "if you have to ask, this isn't for you."

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    2. CELIA - CD, you're so right it is chemistry, which I found out when someone told me about Harold McGee's 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen'. But baking does, I believe need that little extra je ne sais que. I think it's a willingness to try, be patient and lots of love. Also if you're making pastry - cold hands.

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  14. Thank you, ladies, for educating me on the Victoria sponge. I don't think I'll be baking one any time soon, but you never know. Mostly I'm just sitting here wondering where I can get a spiffy apron like Celia's! Here's hoping the back problems resolve themselves with rest and gentle exercise, Celia.

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    1. Gigi - you're not going to bake one and take it to Debs' ?!? :-D

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    2. I had her birthday cake delivered yesterday, and she told me "strawberry" not Victoria sponge. What's a woman to do?

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  15. Celia and Julia, I'm definitely inspired to make this cake, and I will do it. My 86-year-old Swiss mother-in-law still makes homemade jams, usually blackberry and apricot, so that will give my sponge a Swiss touch. I have the 8-inch cake pans that I brought here years ago from the US AND a sleek digital kitchen scale that I got here in Switzerland. It weighs in grams, but that's no problem: over the years, I've learned to do lots of converting from my favorite American cookbooks. Thank you for giving us such interesting background information and excellent instructions about the Victoria sponge! As others have written already, I've read about it in English novels, but never knew what kind of dessert it was.

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    1. Kim, after seeing Celia bake using her scale (which is in grams) I'm beginning to see the benefit of metric over imperial in the kitchen. It's just more precise, which is always better in baking.

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    2. CELIA - Kim, you are very welcome. I know what you mean about the conversions, I was completely lost when I arrive here with my English books and faced American measurements. I have two scales, on is really a diet scale. It only weighs to 10 oz/grms. The other has both pounds and grams and goes to five pounds. Home made jam, I am envious.

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  16. Thanks Celia and Julia! The cake looks delicious. I probably won't make it, as I'd be the one eating most of it :-) But I'll keep it in mind for a special occasion. Feel better, Celia--my back is doing the same and I keep forgetting to TURN my body, not TWIST when reaching.

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    1. Foe me, it's picking up, Flora. By the time I remind myself to keep my back straight and lift with my legs, it's usually too late...

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    2. CELIA - Yup Flora, I was twisting doing some yoga! I know what you mean, there is still a couple of pieces of cake in the fridge and I do so hate to waste food. Stay off your back for a bit but it is so hard I know.

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  17. I cannot wait to watch the videos (it'll be my treat after I write my words for the day) --you are SUCH a treasure! Castor sugar--I had no idea! And I love the drips and splotches on the recipes. xxx Thank you for all this careful work--you are such an engaging writer!

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    1. CELIA - Hank thank you, with all your wonderful presenting skills I feel quite honored.

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  18. That looks wonderful! I know my limits, though, so instead, I'll plan to visit Sucrose soon and let the experts do it. They are near my pulmonologist, so it'll be my reward for "being good at the doctor's."

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  19. Delightful and delicious, Celia! I can not even fathom being able to whip up a Victoria Sponge Sandwich. You are a marvel to me. And I adored the illustration of Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear. <3 My birthday is in March but you can make me a Victoria sponge sandwich any time you'd like. LOL.

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    1. Celia - Jenn, you had a book birthday, and the book is delicious.

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  20. Love it! Celia, you are so witty! Love the jokes and asides. Keep up the good work, Celia and Julia!

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    1. CELIA - PAT, what a lovely compliment, thank you so much.

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  21. Thank you, thank you, Celia!! For the recipes, the video, and for the wonderful drawing of Paddington and the Queen. I hadn't seen that. All of your tips are much appreciated. Who knew you could whiz American sugar as an alternative to caster sugar! I'm going to attempt the Victoria sponge, and I'm still determined to make the rhubarb and raspberry cake from Ella Risberger's The Year of Miracles. I even ordered Bird's Custard Powder and rhubarb extract. My digital scale can measure in ounces or grams, so helpful in converting. Also, Alexa is wonderful for that.

    Celia I hope you back improves quickly!

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    1. CELIA - Thank you Debs, you know I don't consider myself a real baker. Not up to GBBO standards, but the program has offered a lot of tips which I have found most helpful. Best of all for me is probably take your time and enjoy!

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    1. Clearly this means you need to share this with someone who likes to bake for you, Rick!

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