An extra indulgent Victoria sponge cake

A classic Victoria sponge cake is filled with raspberry jam and dusted with caster/icing sugar to finish. Here, I have made the cake extra indulgent by whipping up some fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream for the filling and topping. Just because 🙂 . Complete the look with some in-season strawberries. Bring on Wimbledon and come on Murray!

 What you’ll need

• 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• Swiss meringue buttercream
• 4tbsp strawberry/raspberry jam
• A handful of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

To make your cake 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 18cm (7in) sandwich tins with extra butter, and base-line each with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a freestanding electric mixer on a medium-high speed (speed 6 on my Kitchenaid), until light and fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla extract and beat in the eggs one at a time until creamy and well combined. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mix, and fold everything together gently using a spatula or metal spoon. You should have a light and fluffy mixture.
4. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and smooth the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until they are well risen and spring back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack and peel away the paper. Leave to cool completely.
5. Spread half the Swiss meringue buttercream on one of the cakes and spread the strawberry/raspberry jam on top of the buttercream. Place the other cake on top before spreading the remaining buttercream on top of the second cake. Decorate with the strawberries to complete your Victoria sponge cake.

Yields 12 large slices of cake

Recipe of the sponge cake adapted from Home Bake by Eric Lanlard