Victoria Sponge Cake

This English sponge cake layered with cream and fresh strawberries is a true classic. It is best enjoyed the day it is assembled, so factor that into your planning.

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Victoria Sponge Cake

Makes one 2-layer 9-inch (2cm) cake
Course Dessert
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • 6 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
  • 2 Tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

Cream and Berries

  • 1 ½ cups (375 mL) whipping cream
  • ½ cup (125 g) cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) lemon zest
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 3 cups (750 mL) hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) good-quality strawberry jam
  • icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cspringform pan with parchment paper, but do not grease the pan.
  • Whip the eggs and sugar using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment on high speed until they are almost white in colour, have more than tripled in volume, and hold a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. While mixing on medium speed, add the lemon zest and juice.
  • Sift the flour and salt and, still mixing on medium speed, add this to the bowl. Spoon about 1 cup (250 mL) of the batter into a bowl, and stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Add this all back to the main batter and stir until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until the centre of the cake springs back when gently pressed. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
  • For the cream, whip the cream using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment on high speed until it holds a soft peak when the beaters are lifted. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese by hand to soften it, and beat in the sugar, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream in two additions. Chill until ready to assemble.
  • When ready to assemble the cake, stir the berries with the jam to coat them. Run an offset spatula around the inside edge of the cake pan to loosen it, then remove it from the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread half of the cream over the cake and top with half of the berries. Place the top of the cake over the berries, and top this with the remaining cream and berries, leaving an inch or two of the cake exposed around the outside edge. Dust this edge with icing sugar and chill until ready to serve. The cake can be assembled up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated. The cake can be made (up to the end of step 3) up to a day in advance and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Notes

A basic sponge cake recipe is an important foundation recipe to master because, just like a rich chocolate cake, it gives you the flexibility to play with the fillings and toppings of your choosing. Keep in mind that a light and airy sponge cake suits fillings and frostings of a similar light and airy texture—like the whipped cream used here, or the Fruit Mousse of the Fraisier Torte. Something dense like a fudge frosting would crush sponge cake and mismatch its delicate texture.
Adding softened cream cheese to the whipped cream filling helps stabilize it so that it doesn’t shift or collapse. It also lends a hint of a cheesecake flavour to the dessert as a whole—a bonus perk!
Local strawberries have such a brief season that they need to be celebrated! A cake like this makes them a star ingredient—just like you will be a star when you present this at the table.