Victoria Sponge Cake

Having been working on this recipe for quite a while now, I’m really pleased to share my gluten and dairy free Victoria Sponge Cake! This is one of those classic cakes that perfectly accompanies a cup of tea, a catch up with friends or can even be showcased as a simple, yet scrumptious birthday cake.

Before going low FODMAP and removing wheat from my diet, I used to rely on Mary Berry for the most delicious Victoria Sandwich, however when I tried a gluten free, dairy free version, it was a total disaster. It crumbled and had a resounding eggy taste – not exactly what I was after! Having tweaked the cake recipe over time, I’ve finally found the right combination of free from ingredients, baking time and temperature, and I’m now happy to share it with you all to try…

As it was my birthday recently, I’ve gradually been collecting Alice in Wonderland tea and cake sets, originally from Whittard. But as their range is limited, I’ve started collecting the V&A versions too, including the cute cake spoons below! I think eating cake with a little fork/spoon makes it seem so much posher (and makes it last longer too!) Does anyone else find that?! I also served the cake on the bottom layer of the Alice cake stand… it’s such a pretty plate! I am however looking for a raised cake stand, so if anyone has any suggestions of where I can find one, please leave a message in the comments below

For this recipe you will need to use two 20 cm sandwich baking tins, one for each layer of the cake.

Ingredients
For the cake:
250g butter (I used dairy free stork baking blocks for the cake)
250g caster sugar
250g gluten free self-raising flour
4 medium eggs
For the filling:
250g icing sugar
100g butter (I used dairy free ‘Pure’ spread for this)
200g seedless raspberry jam

Icing sugar to decorate

Method
Begin by preheating the oven to Gas Mark 4 (170 degrees). Grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins with baking paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar (you may want to leave the stork baking block out of the fridge for a while first to soften). Gradually add the egg and self-raising flour while folding, until you have combined all the ingredients. Pour half the mixture into each of the cake tins and smooth with a palette knife ensuring the cake mixture is spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

While the cake is in the oven, prepare your buttercream. Mix together the icing sugar and butter (I tend to start with half the ingredients first to prevent creating a cloud of icing dust). Once you are happy with the consistency of your icing leave to one side.

Once the cake has cooled, and both layers are upside down, spread one side with jam, and the other with buttercream. I tend to decide which will be my top layer and put jam on that half – but I don’t think there’s a rule for which way up the jam/buttercream should go! Make sure you spread the filling right to the edges so that you can see it when you put the cake together. Carefully put the cake together, placing the jam side on top. To decorate, sift icing sugar across the top, and serve!

The cake should last for a few days in an airtight container, I picked one up from Poundland… for you guessed it, a £1, and it’s ideal for storing any bakes.

I hope you enjoy baking this cake, it’s definitely rewarding when it all comes together, and you wouldn’t have any idea that this was an allergy-friendly cake free from both dairy and gluten. It’s moist, rises well and tastes exactly as it should.

Let me know if you make this cake, send me a picture or tag me in the finished product, and I’ll share your creations on my social media pages!  If you are planning on making a cake for a special occasion, why not take a look at my Easter Surprise Cake for an bigger, iced party piece.

Happy baking,

Alice x