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The Perfect Victoria Sponge Cake — A Sweet Start for Young Bakers!
If you’ve ever dreamed of baking a cake that looks fancy but is secretly super easy, you’re in the right place!
The classic Victoria sponge cake is light, fluffy, and filled with jam and cream. It’s the perfect recipe for kids and beginner bakers because it’s simple to make, quick to bake, and oh-so-satisfying to eat.
All you need are a few basic ingredients, a big spoon for mixing, and maybe a little help from an adult with the oven.
By the end, you’ll have a golden sponge that’s fit for a queen, literally!
Enjoy and don’t forget to comment at the end, I love hearing from you and subscribe to get access to FREE printables, newsletters, the latest posts and more.
What You Will Need:
x2 Cake tins. Mine were 8 inch, Use ones that open to make getting the cake out easier.
x1 Large bowl and x1 Small bowl
x2 Wooden spoon
Scales
Metal Knife or Skewer
Ingredients
175g Unsalted Butter I used free from dairy
175g Caster Sugar
175g Self-Raising Flour
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Baking Powder
The Inside
50g Unsalted butter
100g Icing Sugar
115g Jam (Raspberry or Strawberry)
1tsp Vanilla Extract
Step 1 - Prepare
You may need an adult’s help, especially with the oven.
Grease or line your cake tins with oil, butter or baking paper.
I actually prefer to use a 10p amount of oil.
This helps keep the cake from sticking to the pan and helps make the cake nice and ‘moist’. I know, horrible word, but great for baking.
Pop the oven on to 180c to warm up.
Step 2 - Mix
You may need an adult’s help, especially with the oven.
In your large bowl, mix 175g of butter and 175g of Caster Sugar together with a wooden spoon or electric whisk.
It needs to be smooth and soft. No lumps.
My children find that using the back of the wooden spoon to squash the butter and sugar together works best.
Add the 3 eggs and mix them well. The batter will go lumpy, and that’s ok.
Now we will add 1tsp (teaspoon) of Vanilla Extract and Baking Powder. You can give it a little stir.
Mix in 175g of Self-Raising Flour.
It’s better if it’s sifted as you don’t get the lumps, but not essential.
Make sure you mix all the batter with the flour well. Getting the flour from around the edge and bottom of the bowl, too. No white streaks left.
Your Victoria Sponge Cake should start looking really yummy. You are doing a great job.
This next bit is tricky.
We need to put the batter into both tins, evenly, the best you can. Make sure the batter reaches the sides of the tins and is flat so it bakes evenly.
HOT BIT. Ask for help if needed. Pop the sponge cakes in the oven on the middle and bottom shelves for 20-25 minutes.
Don’t open the oven before this time is up! If you do the cakes will sink and won’t rise.
Who's Ready to Lick the Bowl?
Yep, that’s right. It is lick the bowl time.
My children’s favourite time. And mine, sshhh.
Is It Ready Yet?
You may need an adult’s help, especially with the oven.
Now, with help or ask an adult, carefully use a metal skewer or a clean knife to test if the cake is cooked.
Pop it into the middle of the sponge cake, straight down and out again.
If it is clean, then it is cooked.
If you still see cake batter on the knife or skewer, then the cake needs 2 more minutes in the oven. Then try again.
You don’t want to over cook it.
Now that your cake has cooked, leave it to cool safely for 10-20 minutes.
Once they have cooled, you can remove them from the cake tins.
Use a clean knife or spatula to gently slide under the cake if it gets stuck. Be careful not to break the cake.
The Inside
With your small bowl and a clean wooden spoon. Or use an electric whisk.
Mix 50g of Unsalted Butter, 100g of Icing Sugar and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract.
This bit can take a while if you are doing this by hand, but keep going with it until it is smooth. Use the same method as you did in the beginning.
Now you can either add Jam then Icing or Icing then Jam. It really doesn’t matter. It will taste the same either way.
Place one half of your cake on a flat plate (no tilted sides)
With a knife or spoon, spread the jam all over the cake. Add as much or as little as you want. Ideally, you don’t want to see any cake through the jam.
Next, very carefully, spread all your smooth icing on top of the jam.
This can be tricky, so ask for help if needed. You are going to put the other half of the cake on top of the jam and icing half.
Lastly, with a spoon, sieve or clean fingers, grab some icing sugar and sprinkle it all over the top of your cake.
Yummy!
That is it!
You have made your first Victoria Sponge Cake.
Well done, now all that’s left is to tidy up and, of course, eat it.
Bee's Final Thoughts
Baking brings our family so much joy, and it’s great for kids to learn this skill.
Please share your Victoria Sponge Cake Images with me in the comments below. I love seeing and hearing from you.
Thank you so much for baking with me, and don’t forget to subscribe to get more posts like this and tons of printables.
Don’t forget to try the best Carrot Cake recipe.
