Classic Victoria Sponge
A British classic, this vegan friendly Victoria sponge recipe is good enough for the Queen herself! Somehow - it tastes even better than it looks! (And we can all agree it looks pretty darn gorgeous). The sponge is fluffy, the dairy free buttercream is sweet and smooth, we can guarantee it's going to be your new favourite cake! Perfect with a cup of tea (Henry would disagree because he's a very strange man who doesn't enjoy tea), this recipe makes a lot of buttercream. It's going to get messy when you lather it on thickly - but that's all part of the fun! We topped ours with fresh raspberries so if anyone asks it's a healthy fruit salad. A great dairy free cake recipe for kids too!
Serves
Ingredients
For the cake
<item-todo-done>2 tsp baking powder<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tsp bicarbonate of soda<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 ½ tsp salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>3 tbsp vanilla extract<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tsp apple cider vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>550g plain flour<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>350g golden caster golden<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>150ml light olive oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>400ml plant-based milk<item-todo-done>
For the buttercream and filling
<item-todo-done>2 tsp vanilla paste or extract<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>5 tbsp raspberry jam<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>75g plant-based shortening (aka Trex)<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>300g icing sugar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> large pinch sea salt<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done>50g raspberries<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> icing sugar to dust<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>75g plant-based butter<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Preheat oven to 180°C | Line 2 x 20cm cake tins with parchment paper | Cooling rack | Stand mixer or electric hand-held beaters
First make your cake batter
- Pour 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.
Next, bake the cakes
- Divide the batter between the two cake tins
- Place the tins in the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake 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 to make the buttercream
- 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
- 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 the icing sugar
- Decorate with raspberries
- Cut into slices and serve