Victoria Sandwich Loaf

A beautiful Classic Victoria Sandwich Loaf - Victoria Sandwich cake made in a loaf tin. This is my favourite cake and it is made with pantry staples. It is a rich and buttery cake and it is my favourite cake ever.  It is the best British Tea Time Treat. An afternoon tea favourite that is simple, elegant and so delicious. 

What is a Victoria Sandwich Cake?

Victoria sandwich cake is quintessentially British. It is the cake I think of when I think of an Afternoon Tea. In my mind, it sits there right next to the scones.

It is comprised of two layers of a rich buttery vanilla cake filled with jam and cream and often dusted with icing sugar.

It is an absolute classic; simple, elegant; and the perfect cake to enjoy with a pot of tea in the afternoon.

This suits my style because I am not one for fancy icing and patterns. I love to see them but I definitely do not have the patience to actually make them. 

I first saw the Vic Sandwich Loaf shape in Sainsburys Magazine, then BBC Good Food. I loved the idea and had to make it. 

Tender Crumb 

I love this recipe because it is buttery and has a tender crumb.

This is a classic, simple Sponge Cake that is made with basic ingredients some of which usually weigh the same – eggs, butter, flour, sugar.

There is no yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, cream in the actual cake itself. Yes that makes for a more tender and moist cake but this cake isn't meant to be thaaaat tender. 

How to make a Victoria Sponge Cake.

There are a couple of different ways to make a classic Victoria sandwich, but I like to use the method where you weigh your eggs (in their shells), then use the same weight of self raising flour, butter and sugar. I think most people do it this way or just go on the basis of each medium egg weighing roughly 50g, so using 3 eggs means you use 150g of the other ingredients. But..egg weights can vary alot and so it is better to just weigh the eggs and go off that for the perfect victoria sandwich cake.

Creaming or All in One method

There are two methods to making sponge cakes. The first is the ‘all-in-one-method’ where all of the ingredients are bunged in at the same time and beaten together. This is the preferred method of Mary Berry, Delia Smith and sometimes Nigella too. 

The method I use and the one I prefer and automatically do, is the creaming method. The butter and sugar are creamed together first and the eggs are added in one by one, before the flour is folded in. 

How to decorate a victoria sandwich cake

Jam and cream is all you need. Some add a drizzle of this and a squirt of that but I prefer to keep it simple. Some add buttercream..that really ins't for me. To me the beauty of this cake, is it's simplicity. 

How to store Victoria Sandwich Loaf

This cake is best eaten on the day it is baked, but it will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

You can also freeze the cake layers minus the deco for up to three months – wrap them separately with tin foil. Allow to defrost at room temperature before decorating. 

Other cakes I love:

Milk Cake

One Bowl Banana Cake with Chocolate and Caramel

Chocolate Orange and Honey Cake – Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Sticky Orange traybake