This week was another friend's birthday....and another chance to see if my bakingness remains MIA. I asked my friend to choose what she would like me to bake for her birthday. She choose a fruit tart, but this worried me because I knew it would not be able to be refrigerated and might get soggy or something. So, I decided on these mini Victoria Sponge cakes. They still had the fruity taste that she wanted but were much more party friendly. I filled these with buttercream instead of the traditional whipped cream. They tasted great and held together better than they would have with cream.
Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes
Makes 14 mini cakes
Ingredients:
280g butter, very soft
280g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs
250g self-raising flour (if you do not have self-raising flour, substitute all-purpose flour and 3 tsp baking powder)
30g cornflour (cornstarch)
3-4 Tbsp milk
For the filling:
1/3-1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 punnet of strawberries, finely chopped
125ml double cream or 1 recipe of buttercream
Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients:
8oz butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp double cream
2 1/2 (300g) cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
To make the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 180*C. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake tins.
Combine the flour and cornflour.
Cream the butter and sugar for 3 mins. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture between each. Fold in the rest of the flour mixture. Add a little milk as needed until the mixture passes the spoon test. To do the spoon test, lift a spoon of the cake batter up and allow to drop back. If it falls quickly, add a little more flour. If it doesn't fall at all, add a little more milk.
Pour the batter into the tins and bake 30-35mins, until the cake edges are beginning to come away from the edges, are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cakes in their tins on a wire rack to cool for 10mins before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
While they are cooling, make the buttercream, if using. Beat the butter on medium high speed until pale (2min). Reduce the speed and add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each. After every 2 additions, beat on high 10 seconds, then return to medium speed. Add vanilla and salt and beat until smooth. Add cream, beating throughout. If not using buttercream, whip the cream until thickened but still soft.
When cakes are cool, cut out rounds with a 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter. Slice each round in half horizontally. Spread the bottom half with jam and add a few pieces of chopped strawberries. Pipe buttercream or whipped cream on top of jam and top with the other half of the cake. Dust the tops with icing sugar.
Recipe for Victoria Sponge Cakes adapted from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess
Makes 14 mini cakes
Ingredients:
280g butter, very soft
280g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs
250g self-raising flour (if you do not have self-raising flour, substitute all-purpose flour and 3 tsp baking powder)
30g cornflour (cornstarch)
3-4 Tbsp milk
For the filling:
1/3-1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 punnet of strawberries, finely chopped
125ml double cream or 1 recipe of buttercream
Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients:
8oz butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp double cream
2 1/2 (300g) cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
To make the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 180*C. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake tins.
Combine the flour and cornflour.
Cream the butter and sugar for 3 mins. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture between each. Fold in the rest of the flour mixture. Add a little milk as needed until the mixture passes the spoon test. To do the spoon test, lift a spoon of the cake batter up and allow to drop back. If it falls quickly, add a little more flour. If it doesn't fall at all, add a little more milk.
Pour the batter into the tins and bake 30-35mins, until the cake edges are beginning to come away from the edges, are springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cakes in their tins on a wire rack to cool for 10mins before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
While they are cooling, make the buttercream, if using. Beat the butter on medium high speed until pale (2min). Reduce the speed and add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each. After every 2 additions, beat on high 10 seconds, then return to medium speed. Add vanilla and salt and beat until smooth. Add cream, beating throughout. If not using buttercream, whip the cream until thickened but still soft.
When cakes are cool, cut out rounds with a 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter. Slice each round in half horizontally. Spread the bottom half with jam and add a few pieces of chopped strawberries. Pipe buttercream or whipped cream on top of jam and top with the other half of the cake. Dust the tops with icing sugar.
Recipe for Victoria Sponge Cakes adapted from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess
