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British

Victoria sponge

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Two light butter sponges sandwiched with raspberry jam and whipped cream, dusted with sugar — a classic British teatime cake.

Victoria sponge is a British cake from United Kingdom, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with butter, egg and jam. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.

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A close-up of a sponge cake slice on a plate, accompanied by a coffee cup in a sunlit café.
Photo: Matt Connolly / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
10
Level
Easy
Calories
421

Ingredients

10 slices

For the filling

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) and grease and line two 20 cm round sandwich tins.

  2. Step 2

    Beat the butter (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs (opens in a new tab) one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

  3. Step 3

    Fold in the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab) until just combined. Divide evenly between the tins and level the tops.

    • 4 min

  4. Step 4

    Bake until golden and springy, and a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

    • 22 min
    • 180°C

  5. Step 5

    Whip the cream to soft peaks. Spread one sponge with jam (opens in a new tab), top with the cream and sandwich with the second sponge. Dust with icing sugar (opens in a new tab).

    Cream being whipped to soft peaks
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Commonly attributedNamed after Queen Victoria, though the details of the association are popular rather than documented.More food from United Kingdom
Dish
Snack · Dessert · Cakes · Desserts
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Whipped
Taste
sweet, buttery, fruity, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Butter · Egg · Jam · Sugar · All-purpose flour · Baking powder
Techniques
Baking · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, heavy cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

421 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 115 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 45%
  • Fat 50%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy421 kcal366 kcal
Protein5.3 g4.6 g
Carbohydrate47.4 g41.1 g
Net carbohydrate46.6 g40.5 g
Sugars28.7 g25 g
Added sugars——
Fibre0.7 g0.6 g
Fat23.8 g20.7 g
Saturated fat14.4 g12.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol135 mg117 mg
Sodium262 mg227 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
85 mg
Calcium
88 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
9 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
232 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
71 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Weigh the eggs in their shells and use the same weight of butter, sugar and flour for a perfectly balanced sponge.

Common mistakes

  • Filling the cakes while warm melts the cream.

Serve with

  • Serve with tea; add fresh raspberries or strawberries in summer.

Storage

  • With cream, keep refrigerated and eat within 2 days; jam-only filling keeps 3 days in a tin.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 22 min at 180 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 30 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 12 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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