How to make a Vintage Victoria Sponge

Hello my little baker bees! This delightful treat you have chosen to take a peek at is a modern twist with on a Vintage Victoria Sponge Cake (with alcohol, of course) - a classic 19th century recipe. Ideal for vintage afternoon tea with your friends.

Why did I choose to make this one for my very first episode, you may ask? To honor my Nana L’queur. This delightful afternoon sponge cake was the very first cake we ever baked together. Although obviously without the alcohol. l wasn’t always a lush you know. That comes with time and lots of practice.

This simple (yet fabulous) treat was not only Nana L’queur's quick 'go-to' cake, but was one of Queen Victoria's Favorites.

​Not only that, but - according to historians - it was named after Queen Victoria because she ate so many over the years, Which may be why I was drawn to making this sponge cake first (some say drama queen, but I dispute that until further proof).

Video

Mentioned in the video: - Cake pan wraps: https://www.amazon.com/4-Piece-Dampen... ​​

What do I need?

• 5 Eggs (room temperature)
• 200g / 7oz Corn Starch (or Corn Flour)
• 125g / 4.5oz Sugar
• 28g / 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 28g / 2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 20g / ¾oz Chopped Peaches (partly dried) *
• 700ml / 1½ pints Heavy Whipping Cream
• 500ml / 2 cups Prosecco

* You can of course swap the peaches out for a different fruit of your choosing, or you can leave out the fruit out entirely... but what would be the fun in that.

What do I do?

1	Wash, prep, chop peaches into small squares. Then pat dry with paper towels or a clean cloth. Toss them into a small bowl, then sprinkle over 2 tsp salt. Cover with cling film then let it sit for 20 minutes (or over night like my dear Nana L’queuer use to). The salt will draw the moisture to the surface, Then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to dry and remove the salt before baking.
2	Separate your egg whites from your egg yolks. Beat the eggs whites until stiff. Beating thoroughly by hand - it should take about 5 minutes - once it’s stands up on its own its done.
3	Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until dissolved, scrapping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to keep in as much air as possible.
4	Sift together cornstarch, flour and baking powder, and into the wet mixture.
5	Add in the eggs yolks, beat until blended.

6	Divide the batter equally between your three greased 6 inch round cake tins (around 170g per tin), spreading it right to the edges and smooth the top with the spatula. ​
7	​Sprinkle your peaches into each one of you tins.

8	​Bake at 190°C (360° F) for 15-20 minutes, then turn them around 10 minutes into baking. ​​​
9	Remove from oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool. Then pop them out of the cake pans to cool for a further 30 minutes.
10	Whip your whipping cream and whip until its at the consistency you want then add your two cups of Prosecco (or if your like me you can add a little more... entirely up to you).
11	Smother the bottom layer with whipped cream and your leftover mango, repeat the process. Then smooth the cream all over your cake to give it the naked look.
12	Decorate the top how ever you see fit, then serve with a nice glass of bubbly. Delish.

How do you like them apples (instead of peaches)?

Storage

It's best eaten while fresh when possible, but of course you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.