Raspberries are a tasty addition to a classic Victoria Sponge Cake.

Makes: 10 – 12 slices

Time: 30 minutes to prepare. 30 minutes to bake + cooling. 15 minutes to assemble

Level: Easy

Need: 2 x 20cm/8” cake tins, ideally spring form or loose bottomed

Ingredients

4 medium/large eggs
* Butter or baking spread, softened
* Caster sugar
* Self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
100g/3½oz frozen raspberries
50g/1¾oz – 75g/2½oz full fat cream cheese
50g/1¾oz – 75g/2½oz butter
1 tsp vanilla extract and/or some raspberry flavouring (optional)
Some icing sugar* + more to dust the top later
Raspberry jam – however much you want to put on

* Some = enough to thicken it to a consistency that you want. Start around 150g/5½oz and see how it goes.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas 4. Grease and line the tins.

2. Break the eggs into a bowl *and weigh them. Then you need to use the same weight for the butter, sugar, and flour.

3. Put the soft butter in a large bowl and beat well. Add in the sugar and beat some more. Add in the eggs and – yes, you guessed it – beat some more.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Now mix more gently without much beating, making sure there is no flour showing. Break the frozen raspberries into small pieces and stir in gently.

5. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins.

6. Bake the cakes for 25 – 30 minutes. Check them at around 20 minutes. Set aside to cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Then turn out onto a wire rack.

7. While the cakes are baking or cooling, make the cream cheese butter cream. Whisk the cream cheese and butter together. Add the vanilla extract then sift in the icing sugar. Stir at first then beat vigorously. Add more icing sugar if necessary.

8. Place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with jam then butter cream. Top with the second cake, flat-side up. Sprinkle over the icing sugar.

I hope you enjoy this lovely cake. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury. Below are a few that I’d love you to try:

Marshmallow Sprinkle Cake

Ginger Millionaires Shortbread

Cheddar and Parsley Scones

Double Chocolate and Pear Cake

A later version:

Here’s a gluten free version. Often, when baking GF cakes, the texture isn’t very good, but not on this one. I had lots of positive comments from people showing surprise that a GF cake not only tasted good, but also had a really nice texture.

Ingredients for the cake

225g butter or baking spread, softened
225g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
225g GF self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum powder
pinch of salt
About 100g fresh raspberries

Ingredients for the filling

50g – 75g full fat cream cheese
50g – 75g butter
150g – 250g icing sugar* + some to dust the top later
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Some Raspberry jam – however much you want to put on

* Just add in and mix the icing sugar to the consistency that you want.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / gas 4. Grease and line the tins.

2. Put the soft butter in a large bowl and beat well. Add in the sugar and beat some more. Add in the eggs one at a time and – yes, you guessed – beat some more.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum powder and salt into a separate bowl then stir in the raspberries.

4. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir without beating, making sure there is no flour showing.

5. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.

6. Bake the cakes for 25 – 30 minutes. Check them at around 25 minutes. Set aside to cool in their tins for 5 – 10 minutes. Then turn out onto a wire rack.

7. While the cakes are baking, make the cream cheese butter cream. Whisk the cream cheese and butter together. Add the vanilla extract then sift in the icing sugar. Stir at first then beat vigorously. Add more icing sugar if necessary.

8. Place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with jam then the butter cream. Top with the second cake, flat-side up. Sprinkle over the icing sugar.