Victoria Sponge Cake

Method

• step 1

  Set oven to 170 degrees.

• step 2

  Mix all the ingredients for the cake together, then beat the mixture hard until it's as smooth as you can get it (in my experience, a lighter coloured mix gives a lighter sponge).

• step 3

  Pop the mixture in a cake tin (or 2 if you'd rather not cut the first in half after baking), and tilt the tin until the mixture is spread evenly.

• step 4

  Bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the centre of the cake clean (ie without any residue).

• step 5

  Remove the cakes from the cake tins (running a butter knife round the outside helps) and pop them on a wire rack to cool down.

• step 6

  Once cooled, cut the cake in half (if in step 3 you used 2 cake tins, ignore this step).

• step 7

  Make butter cream icing, and spread this on the cooled cake along with some jam (I prefer raspberry), and dust with icing sugar to finish.