Recipe

Serves:  6 people | Prep time:  30 minutes | Cooking time:  40 minutes

British | Vegetarian | Dessert

Ingredients

For the Victoria sponge cake

• 3 medium eggs
• 150g self raising flour
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter or margarine (Plus some for greasing)
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Strawberry jam to sandwich the cake

For the buttercream

• 100g icing sugar
• 50g butter
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.
• Place the shelf in the centre of the oven.
• Grease and line two 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tins with baking parchment.
• Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, butter or margarine and vanilla.
• Crack in the eggs and beat well until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy.
• Divide the cake mixture between the tins and smooth the tops.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool for 5 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter and vanilla and beat well.
• To sandwich the cakes together: Add a layer of jam to the top of one of the sponges, followed by a layer of the buttercream on top of the jam, finish by placing the last of the sponges on top.
• Dust with a layer of icing sugar if desired.