Friday 14 March 2014

Recipe: Victoria Sponge

Hello Everyone,

Today I have decided to put up a birthday cake recipe in honour of my lovely auntie's birthday. It's really simple, and easy to do, so even if you're a complete novice, you can still make a tasty cake that everyone will enjoy. 


Here's what you need:
  • 8oz of self-raising flour
  • 8oz of butter/margarine
  • 8oz of caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • A mixing bowl
  • An electric whisker (although you can do it with a wooden spoon if need be)
  • A sieve
  • A deep 8" circular cake tin (or two deep 6" tins)
  • Greaseproof paper
  • An oven (obvious I know, but I feel I need to be completely clear)
  • Icing sugar 
  • Water
  • Cake decorations (optional)
Method:

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/ 120 degrees Celcius/ 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour the cake tin and put aside for later.

Put the sugar and butter in the mixing bowl, and whisk until the mixture turns smooth and the colour of cream (which is why its called creaming!). If you are doing it by hand, it will take quite a long time, but what you are trying to do is get air into the butter and sugar mix, so be quite violent when you are doing it.

Add an egg at a time  mix until the egg is completely blended through the mixture. Once the eggs have been added, sieve a little of the flour into the mixture, and fold in with a spoon. When you fold, make sure you lift the mixture up to create air bubbles, as these will make your cake rise, and be light and fluffy. Repeat this, until you have added all the eggs and flour. you will know if the dough is the right consistency if you can take a spoonful, hold it sideways, give it a sharp flick of the wrist and it falls smoothly back into the bowl (this is called the 'soft drop' test). If it sticks to the spoon, it is too sticky, so you should add more flour. If it is too runny on the spoon and doesn't fall in one blob (technical term of course!), then you should add a little more flour. 

Once you have done this, then spoon your mixture into the greased and floured cake tin and put in the oven. Bake the cake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden on the top. When you take the cake out, a tip to check that it is cooked all the way through is to use a sharp knife through the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, then it is cooked. If there is still mixture on the knife, then it needs a few more minutes.

While the cake is in the oven, you have a few options: you could wash your dishes, or make icing to go on top. To make simple water icing, it is very easy. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add five spoonfuls of cold water. Mix, or blend, together until the ingredients form a paste. If you need to add more water, then add a little at a time, depending on how thick you want it. 

When you've taken the cake out if the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, then take it out of the tin. Then leave to cool for another 15 minutes. After this, smooth the icing onto the cake, and if you want, add some decorations to it. 

Hope you like this recipe. If you do try it out, leave a comment below about how it turned out. Also, if you have any other recipes that you want me to do, then comment below again.

Gracexxx


Cake I made for my friend Alison's birthday
via: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200876316944916&set=a.4956334880887.1073741828.1674426001&type=1&theater

No comments:

Post a Comment