This luxury victoria sponge cake is a recipe fit for a Queen. It combines some of Britain's most love dishes; from a soft vanilla victoria sponge, filled with fresh British strawberries, buttercream infused with the nations favourite drink - tea and topped with an Eton Mess style 'crown' of meringues and berries. A real royal showstopper.
To make the meringues; preheat the oven to 110°C (100°C/gas mark 4) and line several baking trays with non-stick paper.
Step 2
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they become fluffy with stiff peaks.
Step 3
Gradually spoon in the caster sugar, mixing for a few seconds between each addition. This should thicken the mixture and add a sheen.
Step 4
With a metal spoon or spatula, fold in the icing sugar in four amounts. Then fill into a piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small circles of meringue onto your baking trays.
Step 5
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool inside. (Ideally overnight)
Step 6
To infuse the milk; in a small saucepan, heat 50ml of milk with two teabags of china rose tea for 10 minutes (be careful not to boil)
Step 7
Squeeze the teabags, remove and leave the milk to one side to cool.
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / Gas Mark 4)
Step 9
Grease and line two 8 inch sandwich tins with baking paper.
Step 10
In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 11
Add each egg to the mix, one by one, mixing between each addition and adding a tablespoon of the flour to keep the mix smooth.
Step 12
Add the vanilla extract, baking powder and flour and continue to mix until these ingredients have been fully incorporated.
Step 13
Carefully split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes until cooked throughout.
Step 14
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Step 15
To make the buttercream, beat together the icing sugar and butter, then gradually pour in the tea infused milk.
Step 16
Once the cakes are cooled, spoon a circle of strawberry jam in the centre on the bottom sponge. Leaving a gap around the sides for the buttercream.
Step 17
Slice a handful of the strawberries thinly and layer around the edge of the jam circle.
Step 18
Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe blobs around the outer rim of the bottom sponge.
Step 19
Place the other sponge on top of the filling and spread a thin layer of the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake.
Step 20
Top the cake with a circle of meringues and fill the centre with a selection of fresh berries.
Ingredients
MetricImperial
For the Sponge
4Medium eggs
225gBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
225gAllinson's Self-Raising White Flour
2 tspBaking powder
1.5 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
225gUnsalted butter (softened)
For the buttercream
2China rose tea
80gButter (unsalted)
50mlMilk (whole)
250gSilver Spoon Icing sugar
For the filling
200gStrawberries
For the meringues
4Egg white(s) (free range)
125gSilver Spoon White caster sugar
125gSilver Spoon Icing sugar
For the topping
100gBlueberries
100Raspberries
100gStrawberries
100gCherries
Utensils
2x 8in cake tin
Mixing bowl
3 Baker Ratings
The cake was beautiful and cooled really quickly I would recommend this cake to anyone who enjoys a simple cake
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This is a fantastic recipe!! Beautiful, elegant, easy centrepiece cake. Tweaks I did... 1) Made cream cheese buttercream 2) I halved the meringue mix. (BEST meringue mix ever by the way) ....just jam and cream, decorated the top with mini meringues and after eight mints. The remainder of mini meringues I dipped in chocolate and decorated the board round the cake. (..... a 13 yr olds nirvana !!).
