Victoria Sponge Cake

5 from 19 votes

A classic Victoria sponge cake recipe with fluffy vanilla sponge, strawberry jam, and whipped cream filling.

Prep Time30

Baking Time25

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 821kcal

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), no fan. Grease 2x 8-inch (20 cm) round pan or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixture and gently fold all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Split the mixture between the 2 cake tins and smooth the top.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Avoid overbaking to prevent dryness. Let it come to room temperature before frosting.

Whip the cold heavy cream and sifted powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer for about 1 minute, then add vanilla extract. Continue whipping for 2–3 minutes until fluffy and pipeable, stopping at early hard peaks. Do not overwhip. Move the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a big round nozzle.

Spread strawberry jam evenly over one sponge layer.
Pipe about 80% of the whipped cream neatly over the jam layer and carefully place the second sponge on top.
Pipe the remaining frosting onto the top, then decorate with fresh strawberries, and finish by lightly dusting with powdered sugar.
Serve fresh. Store covered in the refrigerator for 1–2 days.

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
All cake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify.
The heavy cream need to be high in fat and very cold. The low-fat versions won't whip up correctly because they contain more water.
The strawberry jam should be thick enough to hold the cake layers in place without slipping. If the jam isn’t thick enough, simmer it for 5–10 minutes to let some of the water evaporate and help it thicken. Let it cool to room temperature before using.

Technique notes:

Baking this cake takes 25 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaking your cake - that would result in a dry texture.
Chantilly cream is very easy to overwhip. When whipping, stop as soon as the mixture has reached a fluffy consistency (this will take 2-3 minutes) and early stiff peaks. It won't get stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat it, it will only get runnier, and then it will break.
Assemble the cake only once the sponge has cooled to room temperature, as a warm cake would melt the cream.