Thinking About..Victoria Sponge Cake
Anyone who travels knows the bittersweet frustration of having a special dish or drink while away and then trying desperately to find it once you return to your home country. When I was 17 my family moved to England and I lived there with them for about two years. Those two years were plenty long enough to find all kinds of delicious treats I now miss dearly. I am still drooling over Branston pickle, blackcurrant squash, Bakewell tarts, cornish pasties, and Victoria sponge cake!
We enjoyed a lot of ‘British’ food while we lived there but we grew particularly fond of Victoria Sponge cake. It was an absolute dessert essential in our house while we lived there. Once we were all back in Canada enjoying the treat became a bit more tricky. You can’t really waltz into any supermarket and pick one up. If you want a Victoria Sponge cake. Where we live you are going to have to make it for yourself.
THE THING THAT SPARKED THIS THING
Every so often while listening to a podcast or watching a show something will be mentioned that grabs every ounce of my attention and won’t let go. I was watching James May’s ‘Oh Cook’ on Amazon Prime and in one episode he offhandedly mentions that Victoria Sponge is called such because after the death of her husband Queen Victoria would sink into depressive episodes and the only thing that would cheer her up was sponge cake. Not to question the knowledge of James May but this story sounds like something completely made up. I am fascinated and need to know more! Lucky for you now you get to know more as well! Let’s get into it.
CAKE, CAKE, CAKE
Let’s clear up some basics first. If you are unfamiliar with Victoria Sponge cake let me enlighten you. A Victoria Sponge consists of two basic sponge cakes (think a basic boxed cake but airy and dense at the same time and super moist.) Between the two cakes is a layer of jam (we always use raspberry or strawberry) and either whipped heavy cream or buttercream icing. (we use buttercream) Then the whole thing is dusted with powdered sugar.
It sounds dead simple because it is dead simple. Because of this simplicity, I never assumed it was actually related to the monarch whose name it bore. Let’s get into this royal story!
A BRIEF HISTORY
Sponge cakes have origins all over the world and pinpointing it one specific place is a task I certainly won’t be embarking on and I’m not sure anyone really could. We are here to look into specifically this iteration of sponge cake and when it came to getting its name.
An interesting piece of side information: up until the invention of baking powder in it was difficult to make cakes that were light and airy. Alfred Bird invented baking powder in 1843 in order to make bread for his wife who was allergic to yeast. (He also invented custard powder for her because she was allergic to eggs that were previously necessary to make a custard. This man honestly sounds like a real winner)
VICTORIA SPONGE BECOMES VICTORIA SPONGE
During Victoria’s reign the concept of afternoon tea took off in society and the monarch herself became very fond of the custom. Afternoon tea was a small meal served around 4 pm and mostly consisted of tea and small cakes.
After the death of her husband, Victoria went into mourning. Her life after his passing was marked by his absence and she would stay in mourning for him until her own death in 1901. Soon after the death of Albert the Queen spent time in Osborn House on the Isle of Wight. Historians believe this is where her name was given the delicious sandwich cake.
I don’t think there are many if any, things that I have in common with Queen Victoria (to be honest she doesn’t seem like a very nice person) but being cheered up by a delectable baked good? I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. As much as I love a beautifully made Victoria Sponge cake I also love a weird piece of bizarre trivia! I’m so incredibly excited by this etymological story.
NOW I’M THINKING ABOUT CAKE
All this talk of cake has made me hungry! Oh, how I wish I could stroll into a store and just easily pick up a Victoria Sponge cake. Alas, no such luck we will just have to make our own. Let’s embrace our inner queens and eat some cake!
There are lots of recipes and lots of opinions when you start looking into Victoria Sponge recipes. I myself, get overwhelmed with all the noise. If you love finding all the options out there and carefully choosing the one you want to use then by all means get digging! If you would really rather skip all that here is what I do!
LAZY BONES VERSION
Get two boxes of vanilla cake, a jar of jam, powdered sugar, and a tub of icing. Bake both cakes according to their instructions in circular cake tins. Once cooled cut the top off of one of the cakes so it has a flat base. Onto that flat surface spread a generous layer of icing and then a generous layer of jam. Put the uncut cake on top of your delicious layers. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and ENJOY!
Some people will be absolutely outraged by this Victoria Sponge but life is complicated and tricky and sometimes you need an easy peasy cake to make your heart happy.
REAL DEAL VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE
That headline is misleading to some degree there isn’t an official Victoria Sponge recipe. Rather there are many varieties that people swear up and down are the ‘real’ version. This is really just the fancy version of a Victoria Sponge cake. I follow this great post by The Baking Explorer: Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
You can jump straight to the recipe or read through the entire post which is full of helpful information. She truly does answer just about any question you could think of. Also, the recipe is available in metric and US Customary! This is super helpful because looking up gram to cup conversions is such a pain. The only deviation I would make would be to substitute buttercream for the whipping cream. That, however, is just my personal preference.
If you want to make it with buttercream here is a super easy recipe: Vanilla Buttercream
Whatever version you make I hope you enjoy it!
Have a fun food story? I’d love to hear about it!
Need a little tea party inspiration to go with your Victoria Sponge Cake? Check out this post!
Cheers, Hannah
Want to know more? Here are my resources:
What’s Cooking America: Victoria Sponge Cake History
Grants Bakery The History of Victoria Sponge Cake
Made Up In Britain Baking Powder
Need a little tea party inspiration to go with your Victoria Sponge Cake? Check out this post!
