Recipe Spotlight: Victoria Sponge Cake by Mary Berry

With Bake Off returning to our screens tonight (finally <3) I thought I’d post a recipe by Mary Berry. Simple, classic and easy, this victoria sponge cake is perfect for afternoon tea but why not try baking it in time for the episode tonight?

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 225g soft butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs

Filling & Topping:

• 4 tbsp strawberry/raspberry jam
• Icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 4.
2. Cut 2 greaseproof paper circles and grease two sandwich tins with butter, placing the circles inside, greased.
3. Place the butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs one at a time and then add to the bowl.
4. Beat the mixture until smooth. It will be soft enough to drop off the whilst when you lift it up.
5. Divide the mixture equally between the sandwich tins and level the surfaces. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.
6. When the cake are risen and golden, they’re done!
7. Cool for about 2 minutes then loosen the edges with a knife and push the cakes out of the tins.
8. When the cakes are cold, remove the lining papers and spread one with jam. Put the other layer on top and sprinkle with icing sugar.

I made a few edits to the recipe (like sprinkling the top with icing sugar rather than caster sugar) but this is Mary Berry’s recipe and can be found here. It really is delicious, I’ve made it numerous times before! Enjoy the first episode of Bake Off tonight and check back soon for Bake Off posts.

Cover image: flickr.com

Bake Off, Bake On!

The Great British Bake Off returns at the end of this month, the 24th of August to be exact, filming this year in Berkshire. But why is this programme consistently entertaining and never fails to excite the viewers?

Obviously, the drama is one of the best parts of the show. Will this episode contain a dramatic cake drop or perhaps a tense finish? Will Paul patronise a contestant whilst Mary stares them to death? It’s so thrilling, who knows what will happen! And when a contestant does do something exciting like incorrectly make a recipe, you almost have to cling to your seat in anticipation of what the judges will say. Is it over for this individual or do they have enough brownie points to stay in? So much excitement!

Of course, everybody’s a critic. We all love to sit on our sofa and criticise the contestants for not properly baking that cake, or for making a stranger design than appropriate. We just love to comment on the bakes in Bake Off and our opinions of them. If you don’t, are you even a proper fan?

The creations themselves are another varying element in the programme which grant it a factor of fresh excitement every episode. Sometimes there are cakes and desserts we’ve never even heard of, let alone seen, so every episode is filled with mystery as we watch them unveil the creations piece by piece. And of course, the signature rounds are where the real fun lies. Watching the incredible imaginations of the individuals play with design is such an amazing thing to see. The way they incorporate so many different components together is fascinating.

GBBO wouldn’t be complete without Mel and Sue though. Their hilarious (and often terrible) banter livens up the tense atmosphere and entertains the viewer when things are becoming serious. We get jealous when they’re able to nibble away on the fabulous foods whilst we sit drooling in front of our TVs or, like me, have stacked up on cakes beforehand to eat along with the show. The Mel/Sue duo interact perfectly with Mary and Paul, poking jokes and jibes here and there to lessen Paul’s hard exterior and the whole thing is so delightfully entertaining to watch.

It’s clearly unsurprising why the Great British Bake Off never fails to captivate die-hard fans and newcomers alike. The Bake Off spark contains so much talent, creativity and excitement in one place, coupled with some entertaining TV personalities, that its difficult to not become painfully obsessed with the programme.

Don’t forget, Bake Off returns on August 24th!