April 13, 2015
Victoria Sponge – Celebration Cake!
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A delicious classic bake – a Victoria sponge. Soft & light cakes, strawberry jam, vanilla buttercream & fresh strawberries!
Victoria sponge
Strawberry season isn’t quiiiite here yet, but I bought a packet anyway and they were surprisingly tasty! This led me to think I should 100% do something with them, but definitely not overdo them. So… I thought I would bake a classic! Funnily enough it is one of the simplest and yet most delicious classic cakes around!
When I was younger I used to think that this type of cake was boring – why would I want it if it’s not chocolate? But oh how naive was I. This cake is SO GOOD and one of the best cakes in the world. However, sometimes the simplest of things can be the most difficult to get absolutely perfect!
Layers
I find that with a Victoria sponge, it’s all about getting everything perfectly in proportion. Such as, if you’re making a two layered cake, everything should be 300g (i.e. the sugar, flour, butter and eggs) and same for if you were doing a larger cake – everything should be 400g! It makes it far simpler and generally provides a foolproof cake. This recipe is for a three layer, 8 inch cake – so for a smaller cake (two layers), simply reduce the cake ingredients to 300g, split the mixture into two tins, and bake for 20 minutes!
Eggs
I weigh out my eggs when making a cake like this so I have no doubts it’s going to work, and once you know your oven well enough you will know when is the perfect time to take the cake out of the oven and when it might need a tiny while longer in the oven!
Cream or buttercream?
This cake is traditionally served with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or jam and buttercream – its entirely up to you! Personally, when i’m making it last a bit longer, I use buttercream so that it stays fresh for longer – whereas the cream may go a bit icky, especially on a hot day!
Assemble
I tend to pipe my buttercream around the edge of each layer, then a bit more in the middle with my jam sitting on the top, it tends to not slide around this way! It also stops jam sliding down the sides so you keep the nice clean edges of the 3 layers of sponge. I use strawberry jam in this recipe however if you would prefer raspberry then why not?! Enjoy!
Victoria sponge - Celebration Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 400 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 400 g caster sugar
- 400 g eggs (roughly 8 eggs)
- 400 g self raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp whole milk
Decoration
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 450 g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 175 g strawberry jam
- fresh strawberries
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/170ºC fan and line three 20cm/8inch cake tins.
- In a large bowl, beat together the unsalted butter and caster sugar until combined.
- Then, add your eggs, whole milk, self raising flour and baking powder, and beat until combined again - but be careful to not over beat.
- Divide the mixture equally between the three tins and smooth it over.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the cake is golden and springs back (a skewer should also come out clean).
- Turn the sponges out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool fully.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Beat the unsalted butter with an electric mixer until it's smooth and loose.
- Then, gradually beat in the icing sugar & vanilla extract.
- If the icing is too stiff, add 1 tbsp whole milk at a time to get your desired thickness!
Decoration
- Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the top of one of the sponges, then spoon on half of your jam.
- Place the second sponge on top and repeat the process - finish with the third sponge, and any left over buttercream on top!
- Add some fresh strawberries, perhaps a sprinkle of icing sugar and serve!
Notes
- When decorating the cake, I like to pipe a small amount of the buttercream around the edge of the sponges, then put a little more in the middle with the jam on top - this stops it falling out all over the place, but this is simply my choice! 🙂
- This cake will last in an airtight container for 3 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months!
- I use this piping bag
- I use this Medium 2D Closed Star Piping Tip
- I use these 8" Cake Tin
ENJOY!
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J x
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Do you weigh your eggs in the shells or out the shells ?
You weigh in the shells! x
Can I make this gluten free by changing the flour or do I need to add an extra egg so it’s not dry?
Hi Jane, I use your recipes for all my special cakes, thanks for sharing them! In most of your recipes you say eggs in numbers, not weight, but for this one (and I think for the white chocolate drip cake?!) you say to weigh them. I tend to weigh mine all the time because I can see the considerable difference between egg weights, I’m just wondering if I should try not weighing them and doing it in a 6 or 8 egg ratio (I do this for cupcakes). Which method would you recommend for large cakes as I seem to get such varied results but don’t know if this is down to my oven or eggs! Thanks so much x
Hi Jane,
Would I be able to add chocolate chips to the sponges? How many grams would you recommend please?
Thanks so much
Hi Jane, how thick is the cake batter? I only have loose bottom baking tins so was wondering if these tins are ok to use? Will the batter drip down to the bottom of the tin and out of the tin?
It won’t seep through the edges of the tin as it’s quite thick as long as your tin isn’t deformed in any way with leaky spots!! x
Hi
I’m worried when doing the alters that when I pipe the buttercream the layer ontop will squash it
Hi Jane, this looks like a lovely recipe. I just wanted to ask about the ingredients for the buttercream. You say 450 icing sugar to 150g butter. I was thinking of just doubling the amount of sugar to butter for a classic butter cream. Would that work or should I use 450g sugar as you suggest?
Hi Jane, love your cakes and bakes and books! Am looking to bake this as a semi baked. Do you think this would work please? Also can you help with how much I would need to increase the buttercream ingredients by for this? I am using 3 x 8 inch tins xx
Hey! Yes this would work. I would double the buttercream, but then you can freeze any leftover you may have! x
Hi there, I love your recipes they are my go to! Can I use Stork in this instead of the unsalted butter?? Thanks
Hiya! Baking spreads work well for cake sponges, but no frostings! x
Hi Jane,
I’m planning on using this recipe to make a novelty cake for my cousin’s little boys 1st birthday but adapting it to be dairy free.
Do you need to add the milk in this recipe?
Also how much buttercream would you suggest to cover the cake before adding the fondant?
Thank you 🙂
No, you don’t need to add the milk – sometimes people do to just thin the mix ever so slightly. And I usually double it to cover the sides and top as well x
Hi, could I make this with fresh whipped cream instead of butter cream?
I’m worried about then sliding as I stake them
Thank you x
Hi Amy, I made this recipe with fresh cream in April.
I added a small amount of gelatine into the cream before whipping (about 1/4 teaspoon melted into some cream in the microwave) and it worked out great!
Hi Jane! I hope I’m not repeating a question but could I freeze the cakes then taken them out on the day and defrost slightly before filling and covering the outside in Swiss meringue buttercream? I just don’t want them to dry out but usually find freezing keeps cakes moist, wasn’t sure with the Victoria sponge though! Thanks so much
Hi Jane I’m wanting to do a 8”x4”deep cake and cut it in half can you point me to the recipe you use for this tin size please x
Have a look at all of my drip cake recipes x
Hey, so my situation is that I only have one 8inch pan so would it be okay for the batter to sit while I bake each cake at in batches?
I have made this cake before for a birthday and it was great! I am planning to make the chocolate version. I will swap out 60-75g of flour as per a previous comment, but how do I need to adjust the buttercream to be chocolate also please?
Hi Jane
I love your cakes and recipes etc ,
And find it hard to follow and trust anyone else as your instructions always turn out so well .
The question I have is I have 3x 9in x 2in springform tins , I would like to use this recipe for my friends wedding cake ( hence it being bigger )
Please help me increase the recipe to fit these tins please .
Thankyou
Hi Jane!
I’m making this as my boyfriend’s birthday cake and was planning on doing it with two tiers.. I’ve just weighed out five large eggs that I’ve got at home and it’ll be about 324g, would this be okay or does it need to be as close to 300g as possible?
Thank you! ☺️
Hi Jane!
Just made your Victoria sponge r for my sisters birthday, everyone loved it! 🥰🥰 thank you
I Jane I would like to cover the whole cake with frosting how much of each will I need
Hiya! I would double it to be safe, you can always freeze any excess! x
Hi, would this recipe be suitable to use in a regular size Bundt cake tin ? If so, would you use the 300 g version or the 400 gr.
Thank you.
Hiya! I would recommend using my marble bundt tin recipe, but just leave out the chocolate parts! Hope this helps! x
I was wondering how you get your cakes so flat? I used cake strips on mine and even then they were very domed. Thanks 😊
Hiya! Try baking lower and slower, and when cooling the sponges, cool them upside down! Hope this helps! x
I always cool my cakes on the cooling rack upside down it helps loads to even them out
Hi Jane I am looking to make a cake similar to this but a coconut cake, how would you recommend changing the recipe? Thankyou
Am I able to change the flour to gluten free flour in this recipe?
Hiya! I personally have not tried this, but it should be fine! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane
I would like to make this cake for my daughters 1st birthday. But I would like to make a large cake. In a 12 inch tin. Would I need to double the ingredients.
Hi Jane! I’m gonna be making this for my daughter’s 2nd birthday! I was wondering can I bake the cake the day before? & Do I store it room temperature?
Thank you!
Yes this should be absolutely fine! Hope she loves it! x
Love this recipe but would like to make a 6 inch 3 layers, could you tell me the quantities to make it and cook time please
Hi, I’m wanting to make this for my daughters birthday and was just wondering if I can swap the whole milk for almond milk?
Hiya! Perhaps take a look at my vegan Victoria sponge? Hope this helps! x
If you reduce the ingredients to 300g, how much baking powder and milk would you use please?
Hi Jane,
I’m wanting to make a naked style Victoria sponge layer cake for my partners 30th! Would this recipe be suitable for a layer cake? Is it stable enough?
Thank you!
Yes absolutely it will! Enjoy! x
Hi Jane
I want to make this cake in 3 layers and have just bought 3 sandwich tins (the standard depth ones in most supermarkets). Will the depth on these tins be enough for the cake to rise and won’t spill over?
Many thanks
Sarah xx
Hiya! Unfortunately it is hard to tell as I don’t know the exact size of your tins! I always use tins about 2.75″ deep as a minimum. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, love every recipe of yours. AMAZING! Just want to know can I put vanilla extract in your Victoria sponge? Like you do the mini ones, and how much?
Thank you
Sharon
Hiya! Take a look at my Vanilla Sponge recipe, hope this helps! x
Hi can you make this in three 8×2 ins tins instead of three 8×4 ins tins .thanks
Hello! I’m wanting to use this recipe for my sons birthday cake but do it in 4 layers of 6 inch tins. Would I just keep the same and increase or decrease the baking time?
Thank you x
Hi Jane,
In the above recipe for 8″ 2 layers you suggest 300 g of everything but in your back to basics vanilla cake you suggest 250g of everything.
Would you be good enough to clarify please.
Love your recipes and have done a few over lockdown. Thank you
Hi Jane! What size nozzles do you use for decoration please?
Hi Jane
I want to make this but only have 2x 6” tins dee springform )
Should 300g of everything do the trick like u say for a 2 layer but smaller ? 20min cook time?
Could I do 3 layer 6”?
Sorry and thanks x x
Hi Jane
A friend introduced me to your site … so far I’ve made the chocolate orange cake and chocolate cake both have turned out brilliantly thank you, though note for self don’t use a skewer when you’ve got chocolate chunks I thought the cake needed a bit longer then realised I’d gone through a chunk doh!!
Anyway my question is … when you say weigh the eggs, is that with or without shells?
Many thanks for your delicious recipes!
Denise x
Ahh thank you!! You weigh with shells! x
Hi, how long do you mix sugar and butter for please with an electric mixer please?
Until they’re combined, light and fluffy!
Hi Jane,
I would like to use this recipe but want to use 3 layers x 6 inch tins. Please can you advise how to adapt the ingredients, I’m getting in a right pickle working it out! Thank you xx
So I want to make the recipe in a tall 6inch tin and just cut the cake in half to make a small cake as a present, what would you recommend ingredients wise?
Hi! Baking this today for my daughters 1st birthday tomorrow, where is best to store it? I have a cool cellar which could be an option? Very hot here today!
Also I only have 2 cake tins so would the batter be okay until I had another one free?
Somewhere cool is always best – the fridge may dry it out! Ideally, cake mix should always be baked fresh, but how did it turn out? x
Hi Jane, I want to make this for my grandpas 90th but I want to make 2 9×13 sheet cakes (number shaped cakes) and cut a 9 out of one and 0 out of the other. I want this to be 2 layers so I can put buttercream and jam in the middle. Would you use double quantity? And baking time? Also would it be best to bake 4 cakes or 2 and cut them in half for layering? Thank you!! Xxx
Hi! Would it be ok to substitute the buttercream for fresh cream? Thank you!
Yes for sure! It would need storing in the fridge though! x
Hi Jane. I want to make this cake but I only have 22cm cake tins. I’ve used the cakeometer website you’ve suggested, and it increases measurements to 484g. Does this sound right? Would I cook for the same amount of time as in your original recipe. If I add funfetti sprinkles to the cake batter will this change the bake? Thanks!
If you entered the measurements of the tins correctly I would use what it advises, but any changes to tins and ingredients will change bake times unfortunately! And you can add them x
Hello!
I love your recipes!
With this cake, I don’t need it as big, when you say just half it … is it as simple as that haha just half all the ingredients.
Kind regards
See the notes part of the recipe for the smaller bake, and timings!
Hi Jane… I’m going to make this cake and cover it in fondant icing for my friends baby shower. I was hoping to use fresh sliced strawberries in the filling too. How long would this last please?
Xx
Hi jane if I was to turn this into a 4 tier cake how much would I need to add to the ingredients
Hiya, for a 4 layer cake I would use a 500g mix x
Hi Jane,
I am planning on making this cake for my best friend’s baby shower as its her favourite. I was hoping to use fresh sliced strawberries in the filling and completely covering the cake in buttercream. Is there anything wrong with doing this? How long would the cake be good for if I did this?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hey, you can try it yes, use my eat n mess cake sponge as inspiration x
Hi Jane! I absolutely love this cake, but I seem to be having trouble with a raw middle. I did the 300g in two tins. But even after 25 mins at 170 fan, it wasn’t cooked in the middle but the top was a lovely golden colour. Any advice?
Thank you! 🙂
Shannon x
Hiya, it is worth lowering the temp of your oven and baking for quite a bit longer. You can test a cake with a skewer but also if it is making a bubbling or crackling sound it needs a longer bake x
Hi Jane , I love this recipe and wondered if this method could be used to make a coffee and walnut cake? Thanks Louise
Hiya, use my coffee cake recipe and add walnuts x
Hi jane, Just wondering if its possible to sub non dairy milk in for the whole milk? Thanks!
Hiya! You can just leave it out to be honest xx
Hi Jane, I love your recipes and plan on using this one to make my little girls birthday cake. In the past when I have baked similar cakes the sides have always gone too hard (but any less time in the oven would mean wet batter still). Any tips on ensuring a nice even bake? Many thanks
Hey! Awh thank you very much. That sounds like the oven is too high, lower the temp and bake for longer!xx
Love this recipe, I’ve made it multiple times. I need to make a 10 inch cake, what would you recommend on ingredients and baking times?
Hi Jane! I’m going to make this recipe next week and want it to be perfect. Would you say that unsalted butter or stork yields better results for the sponge? I will be using unsalted butter for the frosting (of course) but I am unsure of which of the two would create a more fluffy and tastier sponge? Thank you!!
Hello! I personally use stork!xx
Hi Jane,
I was hoping to make this for a birthday but wondered if it would be ok to bake, fully cool then freeze the sponges ahead of time before defrosting and adding cream/fruit on the actual day? I don’t want to significantly impair the quality but would be great to have the sponges done earlier.
Thanks!
Kath
P.S. I LOVE your blog and can’t wait to get my hands on your book, thanks for all theamazing recipes!
Hey! Yes this would work just fine! Ahh bless you thank you so much xx
Hi Jane! Would you recommend using dowels in this cake if using cream as a filling instead of buttercream?
Hello! I think it would be fine but if you are worried, go for it!xx
Have used lots of your recipes and they always come out perfect. I tried this Victoria sponge recipe today, it tasted delicious and the sponge was nice and light but as the cakes were in the oven rising there were lots of bubbles on top of the sponges. Can you advise why that might have happened
Thankyou
Hey! I am very pleased you enjoy my recipes. This could be due to how it has been mixed – ie too much air in the mix. I hope that helps xx
Hi Jane,
Would this recipe work in one 8” tin? Then cut into 3 layers? Thanks
Hey! I would say they would be very thin layers but theoretically it would work xx
Hi Jane! I absolutely love your recipes and I can’t wait to get your recipe book! I’m wanting to add double cream in with the butter cream would you mix the butter and icing sugar together then add the double cream in as a liquid then whisk it together until it becomes thick or would you whisk the cream up first then fold it into the butter and icing sugar?
Hello! Thank you so much, I hope you love it when you get it! Adding liquid to a buttercream will loosen it so its a bit risky even if the double cream is whipped up (it may create a lumpy texture). You can add small amounts to loosen the buttercream liquid but I wouldn’t add too much xx
Hi Jane how much buttercream would I need to ice the whole cake
I would double it!
Hi Jane,
ive just recently started with the love of cooking and never baked a cake before and wanted to give it a go and chose your victoria sponge to try I followed your recipe and it turned out great and tasted amazing now I just want to try more… maybe a rainbow cake lol
p.s would love to post the picture of my efforts but can’t see how
Hi Jane
Do I weigh eggs with shell on or off? Help!
Thanks
With the shell! x
Hi Jane,
For the butter – is it unsalted or normal?
Thanks x
Unsalted! x
Thank you! Also is semi skimmed milk ok instead of whole milk? X
I would always recommend whole milk in baking x
What type of butter do you use for the filling? Thanks
Unsalted!
I want to make this a 4 tier cake, I have seen previously you said to change from 400g to 500g and 10 medium eggs. However what amounts do you do for the baking powder and the filling? Thanks
To be honest I would use the same baking powder (as its not essential really, just create a slightly lighter texture) and maybe increase the filling by another 1/3 so that you have four layers worth rather than three! x
Hi Jane,
I absolutely love all of your recipes and have made NYC cookies in every flavour, millionaire shortbread, blondies and the raspberry and white choc muffins! (Family faves)
I want to make this for my nans birthday Friday and I was wondering (as she doesn’t like buttercream) how much whipping cream you would use for 3 tiers and would you add icing sugar to it?
Katie
You definitely can using whipped cream! I would use maybe 600ml if you still want the three layers and add 50g icing sugar maybe to help stabilise it! x
Hi Jane.. this might sound a really stupid question but do you weigh your eggs in the shell or not?
You should do, yes! But I usually find a guide of 1 medium egg to 50g is okay, unless they’re larger medium eggs!
Hi Jane, just wondering could I use this same recipe for a 3 tier cake like you but the top tier as a smaller different shape like a heart shape. If so would I need to change ingredients measurements/weights? And what size heart tin would you recommend
Thankyou
It’s really hard to say for certain without knowing the size of the heart tin as they can vary (and it’s hard to tell anyway because it’s a heart rather than a round/square). x
Hi Jane, I love your recipes. What nozzle did you use for the decoration?
Many thanks
Hi Jane… Thankyou , so just for reference how far up the cake tin should the batter come prior to baking? I love all your recipes and have made most of your cheesecakes by now 🙂 thought I’d now try some of your cakes 🙂
That’s hard to say because cake tins can really vary (and sometimes I use really tall ones for short cakes) x
What measurements and cooking time would you suggest for a 6 inch cake please.
Measurements are about 2/3, but unsure on baking time.
Hi Jane,
I love you blog 🙂 I am looking to making this but four tier. Would it be okay to just share mixture into 4 tins or do i need too add more ingredients.
Thank you
For four tins I usually use a 500g/10 medium egg mix x
Thank you 🙂
Would I change the amount of baking powder?
Thank you.
Hi Jane, I love all your cake recipes. I am thinking about making this into four layers. Do I need to up the ingredients or can I just split into four cake tins instead??
Thank you inadvance.
Hi Jane I’m wanting to do this for my sisters 17th birthday, I’m wanting to fully cover in buttercream aswell as the inside, how much would I increase the buttercream by? Thankyou x
I would say to double it x
Thanks so much for this information and instructions. Lovely.i am about to bake my cake now.
Hi Jane, I have used this + many of your recipes a lot they are always delicious. However, I am wondering if this would fit into a 9×13 rectangle tray? Or if you could advise me with how to change the quantities it to fit it?
Thank you.
Kathryn 🙂
I would use the ingredients as they are! x
Great, thank you for the reply! X
Hi Jane,
Would i need to make any changes if using a 9” cake pan? Thanks
I usually say if you want the same amount of layers, you need about 1/3 more of the recipe (and the baking time will increase) x
Hi Jane
would I be able to make this a chocolate cake by swapping some of the flour for cocoa powder if so how much would I need swap please
Yep, swap out 60-75g worth for flour!
Apologies I found One my post which you have kindly answered.
Please allow a few days for answers as I can receive hundreds every day, and it takes time.
Why are my questions not being oh published?
Help!! My sponge seems fine when I take out of oven but then starts to get oily to the touch. Especially the bottom when I peel away the parchment paper. Stork was not too soft in fact I used straight out of fridge because this happened before and I though it could be that the stork was too soft . Eggs were room temp . Don’t know why it keeps happening. I did use the creaming method which I have drone in past and it’s been fine .
It may be that they just needed a bit more baking, or, it’s just a tiny bit greasy which can happen!
Hi Jane! Making this cake for my mums 60th birthday at the weekend (can’t wait!). Do you use unsalted, or salted butter for both the cake and the buttercream, please/does stork work? Would the cakes keep fresh enough if I make them tomorrow, and then make the buttercream and assemble the cake the day after? Thanks so much! x
For cake sponges you can use an unsalted block butter or a baking spread, but for buttercream you should only use block butter – spreads aren’t good for buttercreams! And yes they would! x
Hello and thank you for the Victoria sponge recipe , I’m new to baking but I have to ask what’s the difference between the Victoria Sponge and a regular vanilla cake , it’s rare , here in the US that you will find someone make a Victoria sponge cake.
Thank you
It depends on your opinion basically – a Victoria sponge is the same as basic vanilla cake, but it’s just the filling that usually changes it! Classically it’s a cake made of eggs/sugar/butter/flour filled with just jam, or whipped cream and fruit, or buttercream!
Hi Jane love your recipes I’m going to make the triple sponge cake using 3 tins. Will I bake them all at the same time on separate shelves. Thanks a mill
It depends on the oven type – I have a fan so put two on one shelf, and one underneath and they are fine, but I believe other ovens can bake quite differently on different shelves x
Hi.
I can’t seem to get the butter icing right. It seems to split and go really soft. HELP haha
What exact type of butter do you use, and how do you mix it?
Hi Jane.
My uncle turns 50 on Friday and his favourite cake is a Victoria sponge. This recipe looks perfect but I was hoping you could help me with adapting the recipe to make a 2-tier 23cm x 30cm cake. I have decided to decorate the cake as a football pitch as he is a huge football fan.
Hey! So it’s only a rough estimate but you would probably need double?! It’s really hard to say but I use this website – http://www.cakebaker1.co.uk/apps-for-bakers/baking-tin-size-conversion-calculator/
Hi, how would you make this recipe gluten free please??
Yep, I would swap to GF flour, and use xantham gum to help bind it!
Thank you! How much xantham gum?
1 teaspoon!
Hi my brother in law wants a Victoria sponge for his fortieth but I was thinking about making it into a drip cake, what drip flavour would you think would go with it?
You could do a white chocolate one and colour it, but it’s completely up to you! Alot of people just do a regular chocolate one as its a nice contrast x
Thank you and which cake boxes/tins do you use – I have a tall cake tin but when I decorate the three layers the lid squashes the top 😬
The best thing I find to use is an actual cake box – usually, they are at least 6″ tall which is good for a drip cake! x
For the cake batter could I use stork?
Yes!
Hi Jane! I’ve been searching for a good recipe for a Victoria Sponge as I’ve been asked to make one for a wedding cake and I’d love to try this. Is this suitable for a wedding cake tier? The bride & groom are undecided about covering the tier in buttercream or fondant. Is it suitable for both? Thanks! x
Hey! So yes I think it is, as long as you dowel and stack the cake correctly! xx
I only have 9″ tins so what would the baking time be?
You would need to make the quantities bigger, by about 1/3 more – otherwise the sponges will be far too thin. Then, the baking time will increase. I’m not 100% sure how much longer though as I don’t often bake 9″ cakes x
Hi Jane
I’ve just used this recipe for a birthday cake and it’s a disaster! Its come out lumpy/bumpy on top and looks awful!
Reading through the comments it looks like I didn’t weigh the eggs properly and weighed 400g of egg only not the shell! Will it still be ok to eat….or shall I start again?
Thanks!
It may just be that the cake had air in it – have you actually tried the sponges? It likely is too much egg. But if you think it’s a disaster it’s probably not saveable!
Hi Jane, I am looking to make a six layered rainbow cake at the weekend, would you recommend this sponge recipe to use, I want to flavour each layer to, would I have to adjust anything?
Yes a basic sponge like this is ideal for a rainbow cake – if you double it you will get six layers, it will just be a very tall cake x
Hi Jane,
Looking to make this today and noticed the butter to icing sugar ratio is 1:3 on this but on all your other recipes it seems to be 1:2, is this meant to be different on this one? Thanks!
Sara
You can change it to the other ratio if you want, but this recipe is correct as written. x
Hi Jane, I used your recipe to bake the victoria sponge cake for my dad’s 60th and poured some lemon dizzle. The cake turned out very soft and spongy. I used a single tin for my two layered cake. Thanks for a very good recipe. I also, used your lemon loaf recipe which went down well with my family it was my first time.
Hiya. I was looking to bake this cake for my nephews birthday but cover the cake with the buttercream and not use the jam.. I am not sure if this will work but for the icing if I was to double it would it be enough for a two layered 9 inch cake please? Also do you think it would work with just the basic sponge and vanilla buttercream? Thank you xxx
Hey! Yes I would double it for a 2 layer 9″ – and yes it would be lovely!! x
Hi Jane, Love your recipes, they are amazing. I would like to make this cake for my nephew’s birthday as he loves Victoria sponge however he can’t have egg, what could I replace the eggs with if I was to make this? Thank you.
I would have a look at my vegan Victoria sponge recipe as that is egg free (but use full-fat dairy milk in place of the vegan milk) x
I made this cake and it was delicious! The only problem I had was the middle sunk in / collapsed when I was cooling it, any idea why? I was told if you leave it to cool in a draft this can happen?
This usually happens because it hasn’t finished baking, so it will sink. Next time it needs longer in the oven xx
Hi Jane, love making all your recipes and going to
Attempt this one. I always have issues with Victoria cakes but confident with your recipes. Question it says approximately 8 eggs which is 400g, it may be silly but is that in the shell or already cracked?
Hey! When weighing eggs you weigh in shells, and then match the rest of the ingredients to the eggs. So 398g of egg, you’d use 398 sugar/butter/flour x
I’d like to make your beautiful Victoria sponge, but can I clarify something first please? The recipe is for three layers / 400g, and you state that the ingredients can be halved for a two tier. However, under the tips section, you say reduce to 300g for a two tier. For two tier, should I reduce to 200g or 300g? Plus, what should I reduce the baking powder and milk to? Sorry for the questions, but I’m new to baking and wish to get things correct.
It’s an example of you can half it if you wanted, but generally I prefer 250g/300g mixes for two layers which is why I have put that. You can just leave the baking powder/milk out as it’s not essential x
Hi Jane, this cake was amazing! Everyone enjoyed it so much. I’m planning to make it again but cover the outside in buttercream as well. Could you please tell me how much buttercream I should make and the quantities of the ingredients i’ll need for the icing please?
Personally I would just double it! x
Hiya! I’m looking at doing this as four layers, would the ingredients go up to 500g ?
Thank you x
Hey! Yes I would do 500g x
Hi Jane!
I’ve just made this for my sister’s 13th Birthday tomorrow, how is best to store this overnight as I don’t have an air-tight container talk enough for it!
Thanks,
Elysia
Ideally it would need to be in a container of sorts so it doesn’t go stale – maybe cover as best you can with cling film/foil x
Hi, just a quick question looking to do this for my dad for Father’s Day and wanted to make it pretty like you have, for this middle did you just spread it out then pipe the edges and pipe the top and also which nozzle did you use for all of it if you don’t mind me asking. Thank you!!
I usually pipe all over, but you can use a nozzle just for the outsides if you want! X
Hi this is probably a stupid question. But when you say line the time do you mean fully or just the bottom? Also which guns are best to use, loose bottom or normal?
All your recipes are amazing by ❤️
I usually just line the bottom personally, but you can line the sides if you wish! And for cakes I generally use loose bottomed as it’s easier to get them out! x
I’ve tried making vic sponge so many times over the year’s and they always come out flat and heavy. So I’d given up.
But I am a huge fan of your recipes and everything I’ve made has been a success so I thought I’d try your version. It’s amazing! I’m so grateful for this recipe. Please keep up the good work! X
Hi Jane have you ever used Swiss meringue buttercream as I find normal one very sweet
Hey! I have, I just haven’t got a blog post yet on it!
Hello. All your recipes look incredible. I have recently started baking cupcakes for friends and family and trying to make sure I have the ingredients correct. I have been using unsalted butter in the cakes but have been told by someone it can make them too rich. So should I use stork instead for the actual cakes/cupcakes? Thank you .
Hiya – I don’t think unsalted butter makes them richer personally, I usually swap between the two for cakes/cupcakes depending on what I have, but stork is amazing for sponges so it’s completely up to you! x
if i were to try and do this 3 layer cake in a 6” tin, what temperature should I bake it at with a fab oven and how long would you recommend?
Hiya! I would reduce the recipe to maybe a 250 or 300g mix and split between the three tins – bake at a lower temp for longer, or same temp for shorter! I’m not 100% sure on the timings though I’m afraid as I don’t often bake sponges like this in this size!
Hi Jane, Your cakes and recipes are the most gorgeous things I’ve ever seen or tasted so thank you! For some reason the past couple of Victoria sandwich cakes I’ve baked have turned out looking more like biscuits than cakes! I’ve been baking for years and years and this has never happened before! Any ideas? Thanks, Boo xx
Hey! Ahh thank you! Have you made aaaany changes recently? such as brands of ingredients, different oven, different mixer etc? Honestly the smallest of things can have an effect! Xx
How much baking powder should I use for a 2 layer cake? Worried it may sink with 2tsp
For just a two-layer version I wouldn’t use any! You can use an optional 1/2tsp though if you want!
Just made this today for VE Day. The sponge was so light and fluffy but my god the icing was sweet. Amazing recipe, thank you!
American buttercream is naturally very sweet! So glad you liked the recipe.
Hello! Love your recipes!
Would you make any changes to this recipe to make it GF? Other than flour of course!
Would you use custard powder?
Thank you!
Vicky
Hey! You can either try the custard powder technique, or using xantham gum to help bind it! x
I bake all the time and have no idea how this has gone wrong, made three cakes from the mix put them all in same shelf same time and one came out perfect the others are wet around the edges and just aren’t right. Made the two again and the same thing happened, what could possibly be going wrong here? It’s the same exact mix how can this happen😭
Genuinely I have no idea, as one of them worked! Id have though maybe measuring was off? Maybe on the raising agent? Or your oven has a hot spot so one cooked fine, but the others needed longer?
[…] It is half-based on the vanilla buttercream filling for the Victoria Sponge Celebration Cake at Jane’s Patisserie. After visiting that link, I now want some […]
I’m doing a dairy free version of this, so changing the butter, but can I leave out the milk? Will it still be as fluffy as normal?
Hey!! Yes just leave out the milk – it’ll be fine!! x
HI would this recipe be suitable for a sheet cake that will be used to cut numbers for a cake version of the cookie number cake, am wanting to make a 90 cake but want vanilla sponge instead of cookie
Thanks
Hi Jane! Love your cakes! How much plain flour would I need to make this into a madiera cake? Im planning on doing a tiered cake. Thank you x
I actually just increase the self raising flour (see my wedding cake post) – Add in maybe 75-100g more!
Hi,
I’ve been looking at so many Victoria sponge recipes trying everyone but can’t seem to think what tastes better real butter or stork? Yes stork gives a lighter Sponge but butter adds a nice flavour? What do you recommend?
Either works absolutely fine – I swap and change with whatever I have for a cake sponge!
Hi,
Did you use unsalted butter or just normal butter?
Unsalted!
Hello,
If you were to adjust the cake recipe for a 6 inch or 10 inch using the CakeOmeter web link you mentioned in a previous comment, how would you work out how to adjust the cooking times? Thank you so much 🙂
Chloe
Hello. Can I use all purpose flour instead of self-rising flour? If so what other adjustments need to be made? Thank you!
Hi Jane
I need to make a vanilla sponge cake, I need 4
Sponges high how would I work out quantities
Please
Hi Jane. I was just wondering how long this cake will last after being baked and assembles, as I’m worried about the sponge drying out. Am I right in thinking to avoid refrigeration as that will make it worse? Thank you!! Love your recipes.
Yes, definitely don’t refrigerate! It’ll last 3 days at least, as mentioned in the tips section! X
Hi could I make the batter in advance for this 3 layer cake? For example make the cake mix on Monday evening, bake the layers Tuesday evening, decorate Wednesday evening…. for a Thursday birthday?
Thanks! Love your cakes!
Hey! I would say no – cake mix should always be used as soon as possible after baking otherwise it can cause the bake to not bake properly due to the ingredients reacting with each other. x
Hi, do you weigh eggs in their shells or out of the shells ?. thanks
I believe the traditional way is to weight in the shells!
i am wanting to make an 8″ cake with 4 thick layers, how would i amend this recipe?
Would you just use 500g for everything? and would you change the amount of milk and baking powder?
Thank you!
Hi Jane, is there a cake on your website that you would recommend to be iced with fondant? It’s for my daughters birthday cake, top tier (6inch)on a 2 tier cake, bottom tier is going to be carrot cake. Many thanks Emily
I’d say any cake can be covered if you know what you’re doing – such as crumb coating etc! Carrot Cake is a very soft cake, so if you can do that then a Victoria sponge or chocolate cake etc should be fine! If in doubt, make it into a madeira style sponge as they’re a bit firmer! xx
Hi Jane, you’ve got me enthousiastic to enter the world of baking! I only posess a combi-microwave so I can only bake 1 cake at a time. Can I make all the cakemix at once? Or should I split it into 3 and prepare it seperately?
Kind regards,
Clare (in Holland!).
Personally, I wouldn’t make the mix all at once as I think fresh is best x
Hello, sorry I am new to this but what would you suggest for a 2 tier instead of 3? 200g or 300g? Initially it says 200g but at the bottom 300g? Thank you! X
300g!
I love this recipe! Could you please tell me how to scale the ingredients for both a 10” version and a 6” version? Thank you! x
For a 10″ you would add on 2/3 more, and for a 6″ you would take 1/3 off (roughly). The best website to use for conversions is this one as you can either input every ingredient, or just input your tin sizes etc! http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/baking-tin-size-conversion-calculator.html
Thank you so much!
[…] I hope you like the recipe and be sure to check out Jane’s Patisserie for lots of delightful bakes! You can also find her original Victoria Sponge recipe here. […]
How much would I need for 3 x 9” pans? Thank you x
I usually add on another 1/3 or 1/2 for 9″ 😊
This cake is amazing! I even made it gluten free and it still worked perfectly! It’s huge as well, which is an added bonus! Just perfect. Xx
Hi Jane, thank you for the recipe. I’ve followed it step by step exactly as you’ve described but my cakes turned out flat as a pancake. Any ideas? ☹️
There must be something wrong with the mixing then. You have to make sure to use the correct ingredients, no butter substitutes or anything other than stork, and be careful when mixing. Also make sure your oven is the correct temp.
Happened to me once. The baking powder had gone off. Make sure its fresh! Makes all the difference!
Hi, I want to make this cake as the top tier on my sons birthday cake. I plan to have a 8 1/2 inch carrot cake as the bottom tier so want to bake this cake in 6inch tins (3 layers) will 400g of ingredients be to much for these tins, would you recommend using the smaller cake recipe? I do want the tier to be quite tall and I won’t be putting as much butter cream etc inside or on top as will be using fondant icing , how long would you bake them for? Xx
I haven’t tried this amount in a 6″ tin a while, but try baking the cakes at 140C Fan for a longer amount of time. Therefore they’d bake flatter and stay more moist. The same amount should be fine if you want it to be taller x
Thank you x
Hi Jane,
Please can you tell me this….if I reduce this to the smaller 300g cake, do I need to reduce the amount of milk? I really need a foolproof recipe as I’ve had so many go wrong. I made one of your other cakes and it was lovely x
Many thanks Dawn
Yes reduce the milk slightly, or leave it out x
Thank you Jane. I made the smaller version of the cake today and it was fabulous! Success at last. The eggs weighed 320 so just adjusted everything in line with that. Used 1tsp baking powder but needed all the milk. It took about 30 minutes in my fan oven at 170. Thanks again. Best wishes Dawn
Ahh yes sometimes it can adjust slightly, but I am so so glad it was a success!! Xx
That cake really melts the heart ,😍😍😝 but if I make it smaller (200g…) the baking powder should be 1 tsp or 2 ??
Thank u
Just 1tsp
Hi Jane
I am going to make my daughters birthday cake and want to decorate with fondant icing, I always use your recipes as they always turn out really well. A friend said that using a single tin then cutting in half gives better results when decorating with fondant. Is this correct?
Thanks
Stereotypically that makes the cake the same shape as the others, but as long as you buttercream coat it and such correctly it shouldn’t matter which way you do it. x
Hi Jane, just wondering what depth your tins are?
8 x ? inch
Also, on all of the cake recipes when you specify 8inch cake tins, do you use the same tins for these- I just want to ensure that the amount of cake batter will always be the perfect amount for the tin across all of your wonderful recipes!!!
Thankyou!
Hiya! I have a variety of tins to be honest, but I use some that are about 4 inches deep, but they don’t fill up that high at all on a recipe such as this one as its only thinner sponges. I use them because they’re cheap and good, and if I wanted to do a deep cake I could.
Hi Jane, would this work with fresh cream filling or would the cake be too heavy? Is a buttercream filling better to hold the cake up?
Thank you
In general yes the buttercream is better as it can also then be kept at room temperature – if using fresh cream you’d need to keep it in the fridge and that dries the cake out. However, fresh cream would be tasty, its just best to eat the cake the same day.
How much fresh cream would I need to replace this with buttercream please?
I would go with 450-600ml whipped with 2-3tbsps of icing sugar! Make sure to store it in the fridge after though, which can often dry the cake out a little.
I would like to make this cake for one of nieces 2nd birthday. I would like to make 4 layers, adding colours to make it into a pastel rainbow cake. So I will split the mixture into 4 tins rather than 3. Would you recommended reducing the baking time and if so by how long roughly?
Hiya – It’s hard to say really as I haven’t baked this recipe into four tins, but I’d say about 5 minutes less. Keep an eye on it though.
I did a trial today and the cake came out moist and delicious, 20 minutes was perfect timing! Thank you
This cake and the lemon celebration cake are two of your cakes I have made so many times! They are truly brilliant recepies that really stand out, all of my friends and family love this cake. Thank you for sharing! I love your Instagram too x
Aw thank you so much! x
Hi Jane, I want to make this cake but in a square tin for 25 people what size tin would you recommend.
That’s hard to say because of cake serving sizes, but probably a 10″?
What butter do you use for the buttercream? I use Stork for the cake itself but I’m struggling to find a butter for the buttercream that gives it a nice flavour
I use any supermarket own brand unsalted butter for my buttercream!
Hi Jane
This cake looks amazing 😊 if I was to use whipped double cream for the filling/decoration how much would you use and would you recommend sweetening the cream with icing sugar, if so how much? Thank you x
I would use about 450ml of cream with 100g of icing sugar 🙂 x
Jane.. do you use unsalted butter for this recipe or salted? Xx
unsalted
unsalted x
This looks amazingly delicious. I have decided to use almonds and creme for the outside. I dug out e inside and filled it with Reece’s pieces ! Delicious
This looks a-amazing!
Can the sponges be made in advance and frozen to decorate at a later date?
Thanks
Michelle
Hey! Yes they can indeed ?
THIS…LOOKS…AMAZING…
nothing beats an old classic, am i right? Just looking at the pictures i am hungry (even though i just ate). good work Jane. i am curious though i want to know every time i bake my cake tastes eggy, i don’t no why is it because my eggs are from caged hens. ight i ask where you get your eggs from?
thnx XXX
Hi! Unfortunately I wouldn’t know why they are tasting eggy unless there is something wrong with what you are doing in the process of baking and the mixture is splitting, or the eggs themselves.
Hi. Recipe sounds delicious! love to try. But I’ve read some of your other recipes and they 400g eggs is roughly (7 large eggs) here its 8. what do i do? help
Just add your eggs till its 400g!
Hi Jane, A question about sandwich tins, if you don’t mind. Which sandwich tins do you use please and do you line the sides or just grease please? I am having real problems. I line the bottom with parchment and use cake release but still giving me a problem. Thanks Jane and congratulations on being a finalist – well done. xx
Hiya! Sorry its taken me a while to reply. I use sandwich tins or just cake tins from Asda.. they’re cheap but good! I only grease and line the bottom of my tins. If you use Cake Release you shouldn’t need to use parchment paper as well.. And thank you! x
Thank you Jane, I have recently purchased 2 new tins and it looks like I have solved the problem. Fingers crossed. Thank you for all your amazing recipes. x
Hi
Please could you tell me for the filling/decor if I was to use double cream, how much would it use? Xxx
Do you mean just whipped double cream?
This recipe looks amazing, I’m going to use it to make my sons Barcelona themed bithday cake! I hope you don’t mind me asking but how much would I need to increase the Ingredients by if I wanted to use a 10″ cake tin? Thanks 🙂
Hiya! I recommend using this website to calculate the recipe up – you put in each ingredient and it’ll tell you how much you will need instead! http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/baking-tin-size-conversion-calculator.html
You are a superstar – thank you so much. My family love trying all of your recipes – I am sure that they’ll feel the same about this one too x
The cake is so neat and it looks delicious
Just made this, it’s the first cake like this that I’ve made, very impressed with the simplicity of this yet it looks so elegant, will see how it goes down tomorrow as it’s a surprise birthday cake ?
Aah yaaayy! I’m so glad! I hope the birthday guy/gal loves it!
Wow, accidentally stumbled across your website and it is fab.
Have made many victoria sponges before but never as nice as this. My other half doesnt like cake (yes he is mad!) but had two slices of this! Looking forward to testing out some more recipes 🙂
Aah thank you Gemma! I’m so happy he liked it! And don’t worry, my other half hates cake too most of the time ahah!
Utterly delicious and I really like that you’ve added an extra layer. I love Victoria sponge and think strawberry jam is a perfect alternative. Great recipe and beautiful photographs xx
Hehe yes, I’m a fan of three layer cakes! And thank you so so much Sammie! 🙂 xxx
I gave this cake a go for my brothers Birthday as he loves simple classic cakes… And I must admit it came out amazing!! We bought another cake from a bakery just in case I messed this one up, but this cake was so much better than the one we bought!! Absolutely delicious!! Anyone thinking of trying it, it’s a must. Also! All recipes on here are awesome! Tried a few cupcake ones too! ?? ??
Ahhh thats amazing! I’m so happy my recipe turned out better than a bakery! I’m so glad you love my recipes and have tried some out! Thank you!
[…] also used the buttercream frosting recipe from Jane’s Patisserie for part of the filling. The frosting was very sweet but it was […]
It looks amazing!
Thank you!
This looks A-mazing! I’m almost licking my iPhone definitely a recipe I will be trying ?
Hahaha please don’t, it might taste funny!
Such a pretty cake!! I agree with you; classics are the best cakes ever!!
Thank you so much!! They’re so delicious!
This looks incredible! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for following me by the way, your blog is beautiful. ?
Thank you!! I hope you like it! and thank you again!! haha 🙂
Yes classics are the best! Its like cuddling into mama’s lap and enjoying the familiar feel. Love the look of the cake and the cream looks perfectly piped.
Thank you!! I totally agree 😀 x
Hi Janes! This cake looks so pretty and delicious, I wish it was summer already here in Finland, I got to try this one out one day! 🙂 Love xoxo Heidie
Thank you so much Heidie!! Its barely here at the moment, but its juuust about starting thankfully! And please do, let me know how it goes if you do! xx
Looks divine! Almost too pretty to eat!
Thank you! I can agree on the almost haha, cake is never too pretty to eat! Far too yummy.
This looks so delicious, my whole family is a huge desert fan. I’m def going to try these.
Yay thank you so much!! 🙂
This sponge looks simple, but oh sooooo yummy. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the best. Good job Jane 🙂
Haha thank you so much!! And I agree 🙂 x
Looks sooo good!
Thank youuu!! 😀
Can’t wait for strawberries to be in season! It’ll be at least another two months here in Sweden.
One of my main issues every year is being so impatient for strawberry season, it always takes so long to arrive!!
And then it’s short too!
Far far too short!!
Seriously, do you EVER stop posting such fantastically yummy looking goodies? 😉
Aww thank you Natasha!! I am starting to struggle though, so many goodies to eat all the time!!
Hahaha..I will help you hahaha
That looks so beautiful! I love the simplicity of it. 🙂
Thanks so much!! 🙂
While looking at this and seeing on the snow here on the ground, I was thinking that strawberry season is still months away. But on the other hand I enjoy looking at your beautiful cake knowing that “real ” spring will be coming eventually and then I could try to make your beautiful cake!
Awwh thank you! Hasn’t been snow near me since 2013!! And hopefully strawberry season will hurry itself up for you!
If I was to use this recipe in a loaf tin. What size would you suggest Would?
Would I need change the amount of ingredients.
Also how long would you suggest baking this for?
Many thanks.
Hey! I would just follow my lemon drizzle loaf cake, but leave out the lemon!
Any festival is incomplete without desserts. Kids are gonna love this crazy yummzz 🙂
Hehe thank you!