Name: Victoria Sponge Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: cooking spray; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1.5 teaspoons baking powder; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup butter, softened; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 0.5 cup milk, room temperature; 1/2 cup strawberry preserves; ¾ cup heavy whipping cream; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; fresh strawberries

close up on Victoria sponge cake with a serving removed

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Additional Time:

1 hr

Total Time:

1 hr 40 mins

Servings:

Yield:

1 2-layer (8-inch) cake

Jump to Nutrition Facts

The Victoria sponge cake is a simple British dessert that lives up to its iconic reputation. This light and tender Victoria sponge recipe is the perfect sweet treat to brighten your day.

What Is Victoria Sponge Cake?

A Victoria sponge cake (a.k.a. a Victoria sandwich) is a British dessert that consists of jam and cream sandwiched between two delicate cake layers. The dish gets its name from Queen Victoria, who is said to have made a habit of enjoying the cake with her afternoon tea.

Victoria sponge cake with a serving on a plate — Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Victoria Sponge Cake Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this classic Victoria sponge cake recipe:

For the cake: baking spray, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cornstarch, kosher salt, granulated sugar, butter or margarine, eggs, vanilla extract, whole milk, and strawberry or raspberry preserves
For the whipped cream: heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract
To garnish: Powdered sugar and fresh strawberries

How to Make Victoria Sponge Cake

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below —- but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make homemade Victoria sponge cake:

Sift the dry ingredients together in one bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the flour mixture on low speed, alternating with the milk.
Bake in the prepared cake pans until a toothpick comes out clean.
Spread the preserves on the top of one cooled cake layer.
Make the whipped cream, then spread over the preserves.
Top with the remaining layer, duster with powdered sugar, and top with berries.

Test Kitchen Tips

This top-rated user recipe was tested in our test kitchen. Here are some tips from recipe tester Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman:

The reason for cooling the cakes parchment side down is so that the tops of your cakes don’t stick or retrain markings from the cooling rack. This provides for the most attractive presentation.
Avoid over-mixing for the most tender of cakes. Beat the batter just until the ingredients are combined (even folding in the last bits of dry ingredients by hand if needed). Doing so by hand is gentler than using an appliance.
The purpose of tapping the pans once the batter is divided is somewhat two-fold. It helps spread the batter evenly as well as gets rid of any large bubbles that are trapped in the batter during dividing and spreading. Not releasing these can lead to less attractive bubbles or spaces in the sides of the cake. When spreading, take care to really get your batter into the corners and sides of the pan for the best presentation once baked.
Oven temperature is one of the most common culprits when it comes to variations in baking. Make sure yours is properly calibrated for best results. The easiest way to gauge is by using an inexpensive oven thermometer.

How to Store Victoria Sponge Cake

Victoria sponge cake is best served the day it’s made. However, you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Let them come to room temperature before serving.

Make-Ahead Tip

Cake layers can be baked and fully cooled, then wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and then frozen for up to one month. Let cake layers thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before using.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“I made this cake for my grandparents without any frosting and just added raisins and walnuts,” according to masteroffood. “Everyone present loved it, especially my grandparents! It was so fluffy, soft, and one of the best Victorian sponges. Could make this absolutely scrumptious cake billions of times!”

“Made this for Fourth of July, everyone loved it,” says Taryn. “Served with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. It was delicious.”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients

baking spray
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
½ cup strawberry or raspberry preserves

Vanilla Whipped Cream

¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
fresh strawberries, for garnish (Optional)

Directions

Gather all ingredients.

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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray; line bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly spray parchment paper with baking spray.
Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder into a medium bowl; whisk in salt and set aside.

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Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. (The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color.)

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Beat in eggs, one at a time, on medium speed, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture before adding the next, 1 to 2 minutes total. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla. With mixer on medium-low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk, beating until just combined after each addition.

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Evenly divide batter between prepared pans and spread into an even layer using a small offset spatula. Firmly tap pans on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to help get rid of any large bubbles in the batter.

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Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Let stand, parchment side down, on wire racks until cooled completely, about 1 hour.

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Remove and discard parchment paper. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Stir preserves in a small bowl until mostly smooth; spread in an even layer over cake.

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To make vanilla whipped cream: Whisk heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract by hand in a large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

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Dollop over jam, then spread into an even layer.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Top with remaining cake layer. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with strawberries (if using).

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

From the Editor

This recipe was tested in our test kitchen in December 2023 and updated to bake the batter in two (8-inch) round cake pans, and use less butter based on user feedback.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

367	Calories
17g	Fat
49g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 10
Calories 367
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17g	22%
Saturated Fat 10g	52%
Cholesterol 83mg	28%
Sodium 199mg	9%
Total Carbohydrate 49g	18%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 4g	8%
Vitamin C 2mg	2%
Calcium 81mg	6%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 84mg	2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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