A British classic, this Victoria sponge is everything you could want. Not only does it look beautiful, it tastes even better. With the fluffy sponge and smooth buttercream, we guarantee this is your new favourite cake. This makes a lot of buttercream. It will get messy if you lather it on thickly but that’s all part of the fun!
SERVES 10
550g plain flour
350g golden caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp salt
150ml light olive oil
400ml unsweetened plant-based milk
3 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp raspberry jam
50g fresh raspberries icing sugar, to dust
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTER CREAM FILLING
75g dairy-free butter
75g vegetable shortening (such as Trex)
300g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
a large pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 180°C | Line 2 x 20cm cake tins with parchment paper | Cooling rack | Stand mixer or hand-held beaters
First make your cake batter | Tip the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl and mix well | Pour the oil, milk, vanilla extract and vinegar into a separate bowl and mix together | Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well
Divide the batter between the two cake tins | Place the tins in the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean | Take the tins out of the oven and put them to one side on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature
Now make the buttercream filling | Put the dairy-free butter and vegetable shortening in the mixer or a bowl and beat until smooth | Gradually add the icing sugar while continuing to beat the butter | Once all the icing sugar is mixed in, add the vanilla paste and salt and stir | Put the bowl in the fridge to chill
When you’re ready to serve the cake, take the buttercream out of the fridge | Use a knife to level the top of one of the cooled cakes so the other one will sit correctly on it | Place the levelled cake on a serving plate and spread the top with a thick layer of the buttercream | Spoon the jam over the cream | Place the second cake on top and sift over some icing sugar | Decorate with raspberries | Cut into slices and serve