Chocolate Victorian Sponge Cake

Enjoy this lovely and easy-to-bake Victoria sponge cake, dating back to the Victorian era! (I'll give you three guesses as to who it's named after.)

Thanks to Dr. Oetker for the recipe!

Ingredients

For the Cake

335 g

Unsalted butter or Margarine (8oz)

335 g

Caster Sugar (8 oz)

265 g

Self-Raising Flour Sieved

75 g

Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder

6

Medium Eggs

2 tsp

Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract

For the chocolate buttercream

75 g

Unsalted Butter

175 g

Icing Sugar

45 g

Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder (3 tbsp)

about 20 - 30 ml

Whole Milk

Instructions

For the Sponge

To begin this Chocolate Victoria Sponge recipe, pre-heat oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm (8 inch) sandwich tins. or three 7inch tins if you prefer to make three layers. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla and if the mixture starts to curdle, add a little flour.

Fold in the remaining flour and the cocoa powder with a metal spoon.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and leave to cool before turning out onto a cooling rack.

For the Buttercream

To make the butter icing, place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and then add enough milk / water to make the icing fluffy and spreadable. Sift and beat the cocoa powder in to the icing and use it to sandwich the two sponges together.

To Decorate

Dust the top of the Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake lightly with the sieved icing sugar.