If you’re new to baking, this should be your very first cake. If you get it right,
everything else will be easy. You can make a Victoria sandwich using the
all-in-one method, where you mix everything together in a bowl at the same
time, but I encourage you to cream the fats and sugar together before adding
the eggs, flour and raising agent, as you’ll learn a lot about baking this way.
Baking is a science. That’s why, in this recipe, we weigh the eggs first and then
adjust the quantities of the other ingredients to get the perfect balance. I like
to use half margarine for a lighter texture and half butter for a rich flavour.
Traditionally, it’s filled with just jam, but if you’re feeling indulgent, feel free
to add whipped cream or buttercream.
8-10 slices
Ingredients
4 large eggs (in their shells)
About 270g caster sugar
About 270g self-raising flour
135g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease the tins
About 135g soft margarine
125g raspberry jam (good-quality)
A little caster sugar to sprinkle
Method
1. Heat your oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper. Weigh the eggs first (in their shells), then weigh the same quantity of sugar and flour. For the butter and the margarine, you need half the weight of the eggs.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, margarine and sugar together using an electric whisk until pale in colour and light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.
3. Beat the eggs together in a jug, then gradually add to the mixture, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Sift the flour over the surface of the mixture and gently fold in, using a large metal spoon.
4. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. To ensure the cakes are exactly the same size you can weigh the cake mixture into each tin. Gently smooth the surface with the back of the spoon to level it.
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes until risen, golden brown and the cakes spring back in the centre when lightly touched with a fingertip. They should be slightly shrunken away from the edges of the tin. Leave the cakes in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
6. When cold, sandwich the cakes together with the raspberry jam and sprinkle the top with a little caster sugar.
Taken from Paul Hollywood’s BAKE, published by Bloomsbury
Photograph © Haarala Hamilton