About the bake
This royal victoria sponge cake is a recipe fit for a Queen. It combines some of Britain's most love dishes; from a soft vanilla victoria sponge, filled with fresh British strawberries, buttercream infused with the nations favourite drink - tea and topped with an Eton Mess style 'crown' of meringues and berries. A real royal showstopper.
Looking for more British bakes? Give our union jack cupcakes a try.
Method
Step 1:
To make the meringues; preheat the oven to 110°C (100°C/gas mark 4) and line several baking trays with non-stick paper.
Step 2:
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they become fluffy with stiff peaks.
Step 3:
Gradually spoon in the caster sugar, mixing for a few seconds between each addition. This should thicken the mixture and add a sheen.
Step 4:
With a metal spoon or spatula, fold in the icing sugar in four amounts. Then fill into a piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small circles of meringue onto your baking trays.
Step 5:
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool inside. (Ideally overnight)
Step 6:
To infuse the milk; in a small saucepan, heat 50ml of milk with two teabags of china rose tea for 10 minutes (be careful not to boil)
Step 7:
Squeeze the teabags, remove and leave the milk to one side to cool.
Step 8:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / Gas Mark 4)
Step 9:
Grease and line two 8 inch sandwich tins with baking paper.
Step 10:
In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 11:
Add each egg to the mix, one by one, mixing between each addition and adding a tablespoon of the flour to keep the mix smooth.
Step 12:
Add the vanilla extract, baking powder and flour and continue to mix until these ingredients have been fully incorporated.
Step 13:
Carefully split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes until cooked throughout.
Step 14:
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Step 15:
To make the buttercream, beat together the icing sugar and butter, then gradually pour in the tea infused milk.
Step 16:
Once the cakes are cooled, spoon a circle of strawberry jam in the centre on the bottom sponge. Leaving a gap around the sides for the buttercream.
Step 17:
Slice a handful of the strawberries thinly and layer around the edge of the jam circle.
Step 18:
Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe blobs around the outer rim of the bottom sponge.
Step 19:
Place the other sponge on top of the filling and spread a thin layer of the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake.
Step 20:
Top the cake with a circle of meringues and fill the centre with a selection of fresh berries.
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 4 Medium eggs
- 225g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 225g Allinson's Self Raising White Flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1.5 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
- 225g Unsalted butter (softened)
For the buttercream
- 2 China rose tea
- 80g Butter (unsalted)
- 50ml Milk (whole)
- 250g Silver Spoon Icing sugar
For the filling
- 200g Strawberries
For the meringues
- 4 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 125g Silver Spoon White caster sugar
- 125g Silver Spoon Icing sugar
For the topping
- 100g Blueberries
- 100 Raspberries
- 100g Strawberries
- 100g Cherries
Utensils
- 2x 8in cake tin
- Mixing bowl
Recipe Reviews
The cake was beautiful and cooled really quickly I would recommend this cake to anyone who enjoys a simple cake
This is a fantastic recipe!! Beautiful, elegant, easy centrepiece cake. Tweaks I did... 1) Made cream cheese buttercream 2) I halved the meringue mix. (BEST meringue mix ever by the way) ....just jam and cream, decorated the top with mini meringues and after eight mints. The remainder of mini meringues I dipped in chocolate and decorated the board round the cake. (..... a 13 yr olds nirvana !!).
This is a fantastic recipe!! Beautiful, elegant, easy centrepiece cake. Tweaks I did... 1) Made cream cheese buttercream 2) I halved the meringue mix. (BEST meringue mix ever by the way) ....just jam and cream, decorated the top with mini meringues and after eight mints. The remainder of mini meringues I dipped in chocolate and decorated the board round the cake. (..... a 13 yr olds nirvana !!).
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 4 Medium eggs
- 225g Billington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
- 225g Allinson's Self Raising White Flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1.5 tsp Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
- 225g Unsalted butter (softened)
For the buttercream
- 2 China rose tea
- 80g Butter (unsalted)
- 50ml Milk (whole)
- 250g Silver Spoon Icing sugar
For the filling
- 200g Strawberries
For the meringues
- 4 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 125g Silver Spoon White caster sugar
- 125g Silver Spoon Icing sugar
For the topping
- 100g Blueberries
- 100 Raspberries
- 100g Strawberries
- 100g Cherries
Utensils
- 2x 8in cake tin
- Mixing bowl