BASIC VICTORIA SANDWICH

VICTORIA SANDWICH

(CAKE)

This is a basic cake that you can prepare and sandwich with butter cream, chocolate sauce/fudge, whipped cream, or even some fruit. A Victoria Sandwich cake is a reliable stand-by for a quick birthday cake or special Sunday Tea. Sandwich cakes should keep for 3 - 4 days if stored in an airtight tin. The one I am giving the recipe for is a Chocolate Cake. You can however replace the cocoa powder/drinking chocolate with any other flavour.

INGREDIENTS

• 200 grams/8 oz Self Raising Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 200 grams/8 oz Soft Tub Margarine 
• 200 grams/8 oz Castor Sugar
• 5 Tablespoons Cocoa/Drinking Chocolate Powder (This will replace an equal amount of the flour in the recipe) 
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence

PROCEDURE

Set the oven at moderate (170 C or 325 F) or Gas Mark 3. Grease and line the base of a 22cm (9 Inch) Diameter round cake tin. Or you can even grease the baking tin with little bit of margarine, to spread into a thin layer. Sprinkle some flour all over. Make sure the flour covers every inch of the tin, by shaking and tipping the tin around. Then inverting it over a hard surface, give it a few taps to shake off all the excess flour. You have your non-stick baking tin ready to use now. Or simply use a non-stick coating spray instead.

Sift together the flour and the baking powder and set aside.

Using an electric whisk, or a wooden spoon, cream the margarine until soft. Then beat in the sugar. Cream together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Crack an egg in a small bowl and add to the mixture. Whisk at low speed. Add the rest of the eggs one at a time beating thoroughly between each addition.

Sift the half the amount of flour in and using a metal spoon, fold it in gently and evenly. Fold in the remaining flour in the same way. 

Bake cake in the centre of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. The cake will be beginning to shrink away from the sides of the baking tin. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Replace 5 Tablespoons of the cocoa/chocolate powder for the flour IF making a chocolate cake. Otherwise for a Vanilla flavoured cake, just add the 200 grams of flour.

FLAVOURINGS:

1) Orange or Lemon. Lightly fold the lightly grated rind and 2 Tablespoon of the juice of an orange or lemon into the finished mixture.

2) Coffee - Add 4 Teaspoons instant coffee powder dissolved in a teaspoon of warm water to the finished mixture.

3) Nut - Add 50 grams or 2 oz chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds to the completed mixture.

4) Spice - Sift the flour 3 Teaspoons ground mixed spice before adding to the mixture.

5) If you like the idea of a cake with a slightly caramelly flavour, use soft brown sugar instead of castor sugar. Don't use Demerara Sugar as the crystals are too large to dissolve even and will spoil the texture.