Today I am bringing you a recipe for a very traditional British cake, Victoria Sponge. If you have ever used gluten free flour then you will understand how difficult it is to achieve the same results as when baking a cake with normal self raising flour.
My mother and my sister have both got coeliac disease and the one thing they miss since they were diagnosed with the disease (back in the 1980s) is a bloomin' nice slice of cake.
We have tried endless recipes but to no avail, they all turn out like discs of biscuit and can be a bit of a flop. Mind you, when making a fruit cake with gluten free flour the dried fruit will sink to the bottom of the cake which comes in quite handy when you have a fussy Dad who isn't too keen on currants or raisins or such like. We just slice the bottom off his portion of cake.
Anyway, a few days ago I had another go at making a good Victoria sponge for my Mum's birthday. Happy Birthday Mum! I thought I would have a go at making her a birthday cake which I knew she would enjoy. And enjoy she did, in fact, we all had a slice and my Mum even had a second slice because it was so yummy.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
150g Butter (unsalted)
150g Caster Sugar
2 drops Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder
150g Gluten Free Plain White Flour
3 tbsps Milk
3 tbsps Jam
1 tsp Icing Sugar
As many as you can fit on top of cake - strawberries rinsed and hulled
1 tub of whipping cream
Method
Preheat the oven 190°C/Fan170°F/375°F/Gas 5
1. Firstly cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. The trick here is to
use your electric mixer for at least 10 minutes until the mixture is similar to a shade of magnolia
paint.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time. I actually beat the eggs before I add them to the mixture in the hope it
will add a bit more oomph to the cake so it will rise.
3. Now add the baking powder, flour and milk, gradually. Try to not plonk it all on top of the mixture
in one go it may knock out some of the air which you have worked in.
4. Divide the mixture between 2 oiled and lined 20cm/8" round baking tins and place in the oven for
15-20 minutes.
5. You now need to carefully turn the cakes out on to a wire rack to cool.
6. Once they are cool you need to spread jam on top of one sponge.
7. Whip the cream up until it stiffens and then place big dollops of it on the other sponge. Make sure
you leave enough cream for the top of the cake.
8. Now you have got the two sponges sandwiched together, smear the rest of the whipped cream on
top and add as many strawberries you can fit on top.
9. Finally finish it with a quick dust of sieved icing sugar.
Here is my attempt…..
Here is my attempt…..
I know it's nothing like you would see on the Great British Bake Off but my Mum loved it. It was extremely light and yummy, but more importantly it tasted the nearest to normal cake for a gluten-free recipe.
Teresa x
