Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes!
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Lovely light mini vanilla sponges, vanilla buttercream, jam, and even more delicious making the perfect mini Victoria sponge cakes!
Mini Victoria sponge cakes
So I bought a 12-hole mini sandwich tin a few months ago, shoved it to the back of my baking cupboard, and then completely forgot about it. When I was attempting to find a different tin (which I still can’t find) I rediscovered this beauty and knew I had to use it! I was going to bake something for a little surprise Afternoon Tea for a friend, and thought this would be the perfect thing! They are basically glorified cupcakes, but they just look so good!
You can of course just bake the cakes into cupcake cases, peel of the cases, and then follow the method etc. however, (As you can see in some of my pictures where I have demonstrated this) they just don’t look nearly as neat! I underestimated how good the tin would be, and I genuinely can’t wait to use it again!
Recipe
I used a regular easy vanilla cupcakes recipe, but increased the quantities ever so slightly to make sure the cupcake mixture was enough to rise a tad more than my usual cupcake mixture does. Simple swapping the eggs from medium to large, and increase everything else by 25g (to compensate for the egg increase) makes such a difference!
I will be adventuring into different flavours with this tin now I have rediscovered it.. so don’t worry about that! However, for now these are DELICIOUS. In my mind, they need slightly less time in the oven then some cupcake cases can as they’re in a metal case essentially.
Decoration
For decorating, I simply snipped off the end of a large disposable piping bag and then piped on little circles of buttercream. I then drizzled almost the jam so that you can see a little bit on the cakes, but you can easily just spoon a little on!
The decoration of the white chocolate is completely optional, and I realise its quite a way from the more ‘traditional’ attempts at a Victoria, but I wanted to decorate these as plain cupcakes often look a little boring to me! Sprinkling over some freeze dried berries is just pretty, and adds an extra little fruity taste. Everything is completely optional, but to be honest… I love them how they are in the pictures. SO cute and so so tasty! I hope you love these as much as I do! Enjoy! x
Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes!
Ingredients
Mini Cakes
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 200 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 125 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration
- Raspberry/strawberry jam
- Freeze dried raspberries/strawberries
- 50 g white chocolate (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and grease and flour, or cut mini circles and line the bottoms of your cups in your 12-hole mini sandwich tin
- Cream together the butter and caster sugar until smooth
- Add in the eggs, flour, and vanilla and beat again until smooth
- Spoon into the tin evenly per cake and bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes or until cooked through! Leave to cool on a wire rack fully and then remove from the tin carefully.
- Beat the butter until smooth
- Add in the icing sugar 1/3 at a time, making sure the sugar is fully incorporated each time until moving on
- Add the vanilla, and then add 1 tbsp of boiling water at a time till you reach the desired consistency
- Cut each cake in half carefully – using a piping bag, pipe on some buttercream for each cake. Spoon on some raspberry or strawberry jam, and then add the other half of each mini cake on top!
- Decorate your cupcakes how you like – I melted over some white chocolate, and then sprinkled on some freeze dried raspberries/strawberries! – and ENJOY!
Notes
- I use this 12-hole mini sandwich tin tin for this recipe!
- I buy my freeze dried raspberries from here – but they are usually available in Lakeland stores, online, or even some Sainsburys and Waitrose!
- You don’t have to use jam at all, or you can swap up the flavours! My favourite jams for these particular cakes are strawberry or raspberry!
- These mini cakes will last in an airtight container for 2-3 days!
ENJOY!
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J x
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Thank you Jane for the inspiration to buy this tin! I made these last night and they tasted and looked great. Today I put the buttercream in and they were very firm to eat. Have you got any suggestions what I can do differently next time? I followed the recipe and timings. I put them in the freezer for 30 mins before cutting them. Can this spoil the texture?
How did you store the cakes before or after decorating? x
Hey! Can these cakes be frozen pls?
Hi Jane these look amazing I’m not sure what I’m doing
Wrong I’ve tried twice and mine won’t come out flat 😭 they seem to volcano for some reason
Hi Jane can I use gluten free flour in your cakes
Hi Jane,
I have just bought this exact tin and cannot for the life of me get the cakes out without them sticking to the sides!
I’ve attempted it 4 times today to no avail, and I have tried, greasing and flouring, just greasing, using baking paper, and none of them have come out like yours, do you have any extra pointers for this?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Tam, I have the same tin and the same problem. Have you found any solutions? Jools x
Hi Tam. I have the same tin and my cakes stick to the sides every time and have gone back to putting them in cupcake cases before I put them in tins which defeats the purpose 🥴
Hi trying this recipe but mine have come out very uneven like little volcanoes,where do y think I went wrong
It’s worth getting an oven thermometer so you can adapt the oven to what it needs as it sounds a little high x
Hi Jane! I am going to make these for my birthday afternoon tea, I was just wondering if there was any way I can make dairy,soya and egg free!! What would you suggest?
What would cause these to have visible holes on the top? Evenly distributed like an American pancake when it’s cooking?
Over mixing can do this because of air!
Can these be frozen before cutting them to add the filling please?
Yes, they can!
Hi Jane! Love this recipe! Just wondering, could you do this recipe but with carrot cake instead? x
Yes indeed you can!
What would recipe be
Hi, how would you make a lemon version of these? just wondering how much zest/juice to add to the sponge mix and the buttercream. Looking forward to trying out my new mini sandwich pan!
Hiya! I would just add 1 tsp lemon extract. Hope this helps! x
Yummy light cakes 😋 Bit too much batter for my tin so I did some trimming. We don’t like American butter cream, so we had fresh whipped cream instead 🤤
Would these work with gluten free self raising flour?
Hiya! Yes this should be fine! If your flour doesn’t already contain xanthan gum, add 1/3 tsp! Hope this helps! x
Hi. I love your recipes. I have tried this recipe and cooked at 155 on a fan oven however i still seem to get volcanoes rather than the flat looking cakes you get. Any tips to stop this, should I lower the temperature even more. My oven is on a forced oven setting should I try a different setting for these.
I have tried loads of your recipes and you are my go to site as everything turns out lovely.
Hiya! Try baking at 140ºc Fan, for 40-45 minutes. Hope this helps! x
I have a family member with cocoa intolerance so your milk and dark chocolate recipes are not always appreciated but these little cakes were polished off in no time. Thank you for this and all of your excellent recipes. I’m determined to make them all and am getting through them. Have your recipe book on pre-order and can’t wait. Great work Jane keep going you have a loyal following.
Hey Jane. These look fabulous! Can you tell me, if I use dairy free block butter to make the buttercream, would it remain the same quantities of 125/250 icing sugar? Can you still add the vanilla too? Thanks so much x
Hey, yes you would but naturally its softer so don’t add any extra liquid xx
Does it have to be loose bottom tin or will just non stick be ok? Or will cupcake cases work better if I can not get loose bottom? Do you have any videos or photos of them in cupcake cases
Hey! Either will work but they won’t be as easy as it would be with a loose bottom xx
Hi, if i want to use all purpose flour how much baking powder i need? And i gonna use 4 med eggs, 200gr butter/sugar/flour.
Hey, I use 1 level teaspoon per 150g of flour whisked in well before using xx
I always seem to get a slightly crusty top when making these, am I over filling the tins or is am I doing something wrong whilst mixing/baking? The inside is always light and fluffy, it’s just the top 🙁
It could just be your oven is cooking the top more than it should be so it’s worth lowering the temp and baking for a bit longer! x