Victoria Sponge Cake is a British classic treat that has stood the test of time. It’s a simple and delicious cake that’s very hard to beat.
This all-in-one recipe for an Easy Victoria Sponge Cake will give you perfect results every single time.
Is there anything more homely and inviting than the classic Victoria Sponge? It’s one of the classics that has stood the test of time. My easy, all-in-one method for Victoria sandwich cake will give you perfect results with very little effort.
Using the all-in-one method means there is no need to cream the butter and sugar together first. You don’t need to add the eggs slowly so the mixture doesn’t curdle. And you don’t have to fold in the flour either. This method is SO easy. All you need to do is beat all the ingredients together for a minute or two until you have a soft batter.
I recommend using an electric mixer (stand or handheld) – but it can also be done by hand.
I’ve been using this method for many years and it’s never let me down! This easy Victoria sponge cake and my retro school sponge cake with sprinkles are my most popular easy cake recipes.
Ingredient list for easy victoria sponge cake
- self-raising flour makes the sponge cake light and fluffy.
- Baking powder. Because this recipe uses the all in one method, a little baking powder is added to help the cake rise.
- Baking margarine or spread. You can absolutely use soft block butter, but when I make a sponge cake I almost always use a baking margarine such as Stork. If it’s good enough for Dame Mary Berry, it’s good enough for me! For best results, use a spread that is specifically meant for baking – low fat spreads will not give you the same result.
- Caster sugar is best for making sponge cakes as the grains are finer than granulated sugar. If you’ve ever tried to cream butter and granulated sugar together, then you will have noticed the difference!
- Vanilla Extract. It isn’t traditional to add this, but I love the flavour of vanilla in sponge cake.
- Eggs – 4 large (not extra large). The eggs should be at room temperature, so if you keep them in the fridge, take them out and leave them on the counter for at least an hour before you start baking.
- A little Milk will bring the sponge to the right “dropping consistency”. This simply means when you spoon some of the cake batter out of the bowl, the batter should easily drop off the spoon. A sponge cake mixture should not be stiff at all – it should be light and airy.
- Whipped cream and your choice of jam to fill the middle of the cake. You could use buttercream icing instead of whipped cream or stick to the traditional method and fill with jam only.
equipment list
- You will need two round 20cm sandwich tins. I use these tins from Lakeland – they are fantastic.
- You’ll need to grease and line your cake tins with baking parchment so your beautiful sponges don’t stick to the tin!
- You don’t have to pipe your cream onto the cake – a spoon will do the job just fine! But if you do fancy getting creative with a piping bag (and it looks really nice for a special occasion) I use this professional piping and icing set from Lakeland. Disclaimer – this post is not sponsored by Lakeland! I just really like their products.
recipe tips and advice
This recipe uses the all-in-one method. It might not be the traditional, proper way of making a Victoria sponge, but it’s so easy and never fails me.
1. All you need to do is mix all the sponge ingredients together for 2 minutes until you have a smooth batter. You can use an electric hand or stand mixer or just a bowl and a wooden spoon.
Try not to over-mix the cake batter or your sponges might turn out tough instead of light and fluffy. Stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are well combined and you have a batter with a “soft dropping consistency” – by which I mean, if you place a portion of the batter on a spoon, it falls off quite easily and isn’t stiff.
2. Bake the sponge cakes at 180C/160Fan/350F for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes have risen, are a nice golden colour and the edges are shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
3. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
variations
Traditionally, the Victoria Sponge Cake is filled with raspberry or strawberry jam and sprinkled with a dusting of caster sugar, but it can easily be adapted to suit your favourite flavours.
For a Lemon Victoria Sponge, replace the vanilla extract with the grated zest of two large lemons or use 1 teaspoon good quality lemon extract. Sandwich the sponges together with lemon curd instead of raspberry jam.
For a Chocolate Victoria Sponge, replace 25g of flour with cocoa powder. You could still fill the cakes with jam, but for a real chocolate hit, fill with Nutella or another chocolate spread.
Or how about a rhubarb and custard version, with custard powder in the sponge and softly whipped cream rippled with roasted rhubarb?
If you’re looking for more classic cakes, you might also like these recipes:
how to store a homemade victoria sponge cake
If stored uncovered, Victoria sponge cake can dry out quite quickly. It should be stored in an airtight container. The sponge is best eaten within two or three days. If the cake has been filled with fresh cream, it should be stored in the fridge.
can you freeze sponge cakes?
As long as the sponges have not been decorated, they can be frozen. Wrap the completely cold sponge cakes in a double layer of cling film or baking paper, then a double layer of tin foil. The sponges can be frozen for up to three months.
Want to see more delicious cake recipes?
Easy Victoria Sponge Cake
A foolproof all-in-one Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe - a British classic that is fit to grace any occasion!
Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) Self Raising Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 225g (1 cup) Soft Butter
- 225g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) Caster (super fine) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 Large Eggs (not extra large), beaten
- 1 or 2 Tablespoons milk
- For the Filling:
- 300ml (1 cup + 1/4 cup) Double (whipping) cream
- 1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 5-6 Tablespoons Raspberry or strawberry Jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F/gas mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm round sandwich tins.
- Place the butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, self raising flour and baking powder in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat for two minutes until you have a smooth batter that drops easily from a spoon (dropping consistency)
- Scrape the mixture into the baking tins. Level the tops with a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sponges are well risen, golden, and starting to shink away from the edges of the tin.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Leave the cakes in the tins for about 10 minutes before carefully turning out. Leave to cool completely before filling with jam and cream.
- When the cakes are cold, place the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Whip to soft peaks.
- Place one of the sponges on a cake stand or plate and spread with the raspberry jam. Top with the whipped cream and carefully place the other sponge on top.
- Sift icing sugar over the top of the cake and decorate with fresh berries if you like.
Notes
For a lemon Victoria Sponge, omit the vanilla extract and add the zest of one lemon. Fill with lemon curd instead of raspberry jam.
For a chocolate Victoria sponge, replace 25g of the flour with cocoa powder. The raspberry jam would still work well here, but you could also use Nutella or another chocolate spread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 498Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 503mgCarbohydrates: 49gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 6g
this totally reminds me of what my Mum used to make me for my birthdays when I was a kid!
Aww, those are the best kind of memories 🙂
Nic I can’t tell you how much I love this! I guessed it was a Stork sponge as you’re right, you just can’t get those results with butter. I made a sponge cake of sorts last night and the result was very disappointing so I’ll be buying a pot of Stork and trying this again with your recipe :D. It’s sooooo beautiful 😀
Thanks Jo! I have to say I find Stork the very best for sponges. And as you know I’m pretty butter obsessed! Let me know how you get on 🙂 xx
That looks amazing, I just recently switched to stork for sponges and what a difference!
What a perfect Victoria Sandwich cake. After reading your blog post and the comments I’m going to try Stork too.
Mmmm, what a gorgeous summer recipe. And that sponge looks flawless. Thanks for linking up to #recipeoftheweek – I have pinned this post to my food boards and scheduled in a tweet for this evening 🙂 There’s also a fresh linky live at 6pm – hope you join in! x
I am dying over here. That cake looks too good to be true and so simple too!
Mmmm, you can’t go wrong with a Victoria Sponge, throw in some fresh fruit and it’s always a showstopper! It looks heavenly 🙂
Total classic – there will never be a day I don’t want a slice of this! Lovely!
I have to admit it makes very light and fluffy sponges and nothing else can come close for me. And this is coming from a butter fiend!
Thanks Emily! I will certainly join in, love recipe of the week 🙂
Thank you! It’s a very simple but classic recipe. Love your profile pic, very pretty!
You certainly can’t, it’s always a winner 🙂
Thanks, I wouldn’t turn down a slice at any time of the day either 🙂 You can’t beat a vic sponge!
What a gorgeous cake! So summer-perfect (if only we could order a bit of sun to go with it) I would love a big slice, or two. Thanks so much for linking to #CookBlogShare
Thanks Lucy! My pleasure, can’t wait to check out all the recipes 🙂
It looks simply perfect! I’ve never used the all-in-at-once method but if you say it works I’ve got to try it next time 🙂
Stork is the best for sponge cakes! 🙂 it looks magnificent Nic!
Thanks Anna! 🙂
Well this particular recipe works a treat for me, I’ve produced a few flat cakes in my time so it’s lovely when you finally find a successful recipe 🙂
This looks great! Really summery and fresh – it’s making me want a slice of cake! I usually love chocolate in all of my puddings but you can’t beat a bit of Victoria sponge 🙂 x
Thank you – I don’t think you can beat a good vic sponge either 🙂
Well Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood would have nothing but high praise for your ‘bake’. And now I am going to have to pick up some Stork having read your post, the comments and Mary Berry, the queen of cakes’ endorsement. Also remembered that Nigella is a fan too! Love the tip about cutting the cream with greek yoghurt. Must remember that one! Thanks for sharing this on SoF Nikki!
Thank you so much Selma! 🙂
Hi, what is stork .
Hi, stork is a baking margarine. You can use butter instead if you like.
Just made this cake today! Best one I’ve made in a while. Thanks for the recipe. ??
I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi, could you just put this mixture into one tin , instead of 2?
Hi Sheila, yes you could bake the cake in a deep 20cm tin. I would line the tin with a baking paper collar to allow for the rise and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Hi there, I haven’t seen Stork anywhere here in Canada is there a different margarine you could use?
Hi Shelia, I use Stork because it makes the sponges lovely and fluffy, but you could use any other baking spread you like or proper butter. The only thing I would stay away from is the low fat spreads – they won’t give you the best results 🙂
Can I adapt this recipe to make a sultana cake, as it’s the best sponge cake recipe I’ve tried. Irene
Hi Irene, to be honest I’m not sure it would work – the structure of a sultana cake is quite dense and I fear this sponge might be too light – the sultanas would probably sink to the bottom. I’m actually planning posting a sultana cake recipe soon, so watch this space 🙂
Hello
Hello just wondering why my cake turned out very dense? Followed directions used butter. It tastes wonderful just not fluffy 😢
Hi Chistina, I’m sorry to hear that! Was your butter soft? If the butter was even slightly firm, you won’t get a fluffy textured sponge. Using a baking margarine such as Stork will always give you a much fluffier sponge. Another possible reason for the cake turning out dense could be over beating the mixture. Hope this helps and you give it another try 🙂
Does stork give a better result for cupcakes too x
Yes I’ve used Stork for cupcakes in the past, they’ve always turned out light and fluffy x
Hi so which is best put of butter and stork to use for this one?
It says butter in ingredients but then mentions stork =)
Hi Georgia, you can use either butter or Stork margarine in the sponge cake – I prefer to use Stork as it gives a lighter, fluffier sponge.