Olive Magazine has got to be my all-time favourite food magazine. I've collected a huge stack of it even since the days before I had my own kitchen or started cooking! Although most their featured recipes are more suited to tc he western tastebuds and lifestyle, I just adore their witty articles and advertisements. Their bakes and snacks, which I tried occassionally, never failed to turn out well; such as this Victoria Sponge Cake from March 2006 issue, page 62.For the sponge cake, I did only half the recipe (and sliced off the middle into two cakes) as I found the whole recipe too much for only both my husband and I. But the cake tasted so good (my husband awarded it "The Blue Ribbon") that I'm going to share the complete, original recipe from Olive here!
What you need:For the cake:
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 225g self-raising flour, sifted
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp raspberry jam (I used raspberry filling - it's less sweeter...and much more than 3 tbsp, abt 150g)
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted, plus extra to dust
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 180deg Celcius. Butter and line the bases of two 20 cm (8-inches) sandwich tins with baking parchment.
- To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar using an electrick whisk until really pale and fluffy, this will take about 5 minutes.
- Gradually add the beaten eggs 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- Fold in the sifted flour and a small pinch of salt.
- Divide the batter between then tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden and a skewer pushed in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until pale and smooth, then spread over the top of one of the cakes. Cover wiht a thick layer of raspberry jam and top with the other cake, prassing down gently.
- Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Seriously, this recipe is a must try. The cake wasn't too sweet (maybe because it used brown instead of white sugar) and the thick layer of buttercream and raspberry filling really gave it a luxurious touch - still tastes as good even after left overnight!
Thank you so much for posting this entry. I Love Olive as well and this particular article, the Sponge Cake and the Carrot Muffins have become a birthday tradition!
WIth great regreat and of course at the last minute I have not been able to find the article for the life of me!! You have the Victoria Sponge you wouldn't happen to have the Carrot mUffin recipe as well from the same article. Any way that I could get it from you??I f you haven't tried them they are fantastic. My sons bday party is tomorrow Sat (San Francisco) his actual bday is the 18th and I generally make the muffins for the breakfast. Thank you so much!! Anna