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badass_tiger) wrote2025-07-10 12:36 pm
badass_tiger) wrote2025-07-10 12:36 pm
Entry tags:
Sunshine Revival Challenge - Victoria Sponge Recipe
Whenever I think about summer, I always think about strawberry picking. I really love strawberry picking (and fruit picking in general), which I used to think was because I love strawberries, but lately I've come to realise that, cliche as it sounds, is actually because I just love being out in the fields with my friends and family. When I was younger, the Muslim community in Ireland used to arrange a fruit picking trip for the whole community every year, so I could rely on being able to go on a trip with my friends outside of school, or to do something with them even if we didn't go to the same school.
The British Muslim community thing is camping, by the way, which is happening as usual this year but I'm not going because ... I don't really fancy camping right now lol.
Anyway, speaking of strawberries, I used to just eat them but these days I make desserts with them, so here's a recipe for a Victoria sponge with homemade jam.
Jam ingredients:
Strawberries
Sugar (about 1/4 the weight of strawberries you have)
Lemon juice
Also put a saucer in the freezer
Buttercream ingredients:
Butter (100g)
Icing sugar (140g)
Vanilla extract
Sponge ingredients (makes 2 20cm tins for a sandwich):
Sugar (200g)
Butter (200g)
Eggs (4)
Self-raising flour (200g)
Baking powder (1 tsp)
Milk (2 tbsp)
For the jam, remove the stems from the strawberries, then cut them up a bit if they're large. I don't bother mashing them because I love all the bits and I think you lose some flavour if you mash them anyway. For the lemon juice, I find it depends on how you like your jam. I squeeze 1/4 lemon for half a kilo of strawberries which might be a lot for some people. Then just put the lot in a pot over a medium heat, keep stirring until it boils, then lower the temperature and hang out with it for 45 minutes. You'll want to stir it every minute or so.
You'll want to hang out with it until it reaches 105C apparently but I don't have a thermometer so this is where the saucer comes in. To check if the jam is done, put a small blob on the chilly saucer, wait about 30 seconds, then push your finger into the jam. If it doesn't wrinkle and just goes back into a puddle, it's not done. Sometimes it takes a while but I will say that I'm not that fussed about the jam setting if it's for a Victoria sponge because that cake is gone in under two days anyway lol.
For the buttercream (you can do this while the cake is baking), beat the butter until creamy first before gradually adding the sugar and a drop of vanilla extract, otherwise you'll make a mess. Also I know it's tempting but don't eat too much of this while you're waiting. That's just straight butter, you know.
For the sponge, beat the eggs, sift the flour, then put everything together and mix until smooth. Pour evenly into two tins lined with baking parchment (or make a mess of estimating half because you only have one tin like me but listen it'll taste fine and that's the important part) then back for about 20 minutes on gas mark 5/190C. For baking, please trust the evidence of your eyes over the evidence of time. The top should be golden and a bit springy. Don't worry about waiting a bit longer if the top is soft (or taking it out sooner if it's already looking good).
When they're done, tip the cakes out on a cooling rack, then when they're cool, spread buttercream then jam over one half, and put the other half on top. Sprinkle of icing sugar and you're done.
Here's the tl;dr:
1. Put jam ingredients in pot and heat until boiling.
2. Lower heat and stay with it for ~45 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Stop when temp is 105C or when jam wrinkles on frozen saucer.
4. Beat eggs for sponge.
5. Sift the flour then mix sponge ingredients together until smooth.
6. Divide evenly into two 20cm tins then bake for ~20 mins on 190C or until golden.
7. Beat butter for buttercream until creamy then gradually add icing sugar.
8. When cakes are done and cool, spread buttercream and jam over one half, then put the other half on top.
The British Muslim community thing is camping, by the way, which is happening as usual this year but I'm not going because ... I don't really fancy camping right now lol.
Anyway, speaking of strawberries, I used to just eat them but these days I make desserts with them, so here's a recipe for a Victoria sponge with homemade jam.
Jam ingredients:
Strawberries
Sugar (about 1/4 the weight of strawberries you have)
Lemon juice
Also put a saucer in the freezer
Buttercream ingredients:
Butter (100g)
Icing sugar (140g)
Vanilla extract
Sponge ingredients (makes 2 20cm tins for a sandwich):
Sugar (200g)
Butter (200g)
Eggs (4)
Self-raising flour (200g)
Baking powder (1 tsp)
Milk (2 tbsp)
For the jam, remove the stems from the strawberries, then cut them up a bit if they're large. I don't bother mashing them because I love all the bits and I think you lose some flavour if you mash them anyway. For the lemon juice, I find it depends on how you like your jam. I squeeze 1/4 lemon for half a kilo of strawberries which might be a lot for some people. Then just put the lot in a pot over a medium heat, keep stirring until it boils, then lower the temperature and hang out with it for 45 minutes. You'll want to stir it every minute or so.
You'll want to hang out with it until it reaches 105C apparently but I don't have a thermometer so this is where the saucer comes in. To check if the jam is done, put a small blob on the chilly saucer, wait about 30 seconds, then push your finger into the jam. If it doesn't wrinkle and just goes back into a puddle, it's not done. Sometimes it takes a while but I will say that I'm not that fussed about the jam setting if it's for a Victoria sponge because that cake is gone in under two days anyway lol.
For the buttercream (you can do this while the cake is baking), beat the butter until creamy first before gradually adding the sugar and a drop of vanilla extract, otherwise you'll make a mess. Also I know it's tempting but don't eat too much of this while you're waiting. That's just straight butter, you know.
For the sponge, beat the eggs, sift the flour, then put everything together and mix until smooth. Pour evenly into two tins lined with baking parchment (or make a mess of estimating half because you only have one tin like me but listen it'll taste fine and that's the important part) then back for about 20 minutes on gas mark 5/190C. For baking, please trust the evidence of your eyes over the evidence of time. The top should be golden and a bit springy. Don't worry about waiting a bit longer if the top is soft (or taking it out sooner if it's already looking good).
When they're done, tip the cakes out on a cooling rack, then when they're cool, spread buttercream then jam over one half, and put the other half on top. Sprinkle of icing sugar and you're done.
Here's the tl;dr:
1. Put jam ingredients in pot and heat until boiling.
2. Lower heat and stay with it for ~45 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Stop when temp is 105C or when jam wrinkles on frozen saucer.
4. Beat eggs for sponge.
5. Sift the flour then mix sponge ingredients together until smooth.
6. Divide evenly into two 20cm tins then bake for ~20 mins on 190C or until golden.
7. Beat butter for buttercream until creamy then gradually add icing sugar.
8. When cakes are done and cool, spread buttercream and jam over one half, then put the other half on top.