What's the secret of a good Victoria Sandwich?

[saltyseadog]

I need to know :o!

Having failed miserably at a horticultural show this weekend, I'm going to have a second attempt at another show this weekend.

What are your tips please? I have to use a three egg, 6oz of everything else recipe.

Delia recipe
Ensure tins correct size (again ref Delia)
Olivio not butter
Sponge flour
Good luck whatever you do

I have made my dad a VS today as a special request for his 50th birthday. I used the classic 3 egg recipe where you take the other measurements from the weight of the egg. Also classic preparation - creaming butter and sugar, whisking egg in then folding in flour sifted from a great height into the mix with a metal (not wood or plastic) spoon.

I also used half stork, half butter (or there abouts) to get the lightness from the stork and the flavour from the butter. No baking powder. Buttercream and raspberry jam to fill even though classic VS only has jam.

170 degrees in a fan oven with the fan left on (using mum's oven and couldn't work out how to turn it off). 8" sandwich tins greased with Cake Release but not lined.

I have no idea how it tastes because he isn't in from work yet but it looks fab even though there are crusty bits round the edges. I seem to get these every time and don't know how to get rid of them. Is it because my sandwich tins are too thin?

Oooh more tips. Thank you. Where can I buy 'sponge flour' from please? I had a peek in the baking section of Tescos and I couldn't see it. Waitrose?

ant3nna - have you tried the sponge yet?

Millie1 - are you baking with your girls' eggs?

Millie you dont say your recipe

I find the aga brill for the non crusty edges
I always use greaseproof paper in bottom

3 eggs, weigh the, same weight of everything else. try to aim for devils proportions.

Use butter which is melty soft.

Use room temperature eggs.

Beat the sugar and butter for AGES. Beat the eggs and fold in the flour for the SMALLEST amount of time.

Salty ... sadly not! Only the Orp is laying (Sussex must be 25 wks old and I keep telling her that it's about time she started to earn her keep but she ain't listening ). Orp's eggs are tiny still - around 47g, so not big enough for baking. Soon!

Posy - off the top of my head, cream 10oz butter, add 10z sugar & cream till light and fluffy. Mix in 5 eggs, one at a time, little flour inbetween if it starts to curdle. 10oz s/r flour, sifted & folded in (no mixer by this stage). A couple of tablespoons of milk to loosen up. Tin greased & lined. Takes around 30 mins for the 5 egg sponge. Just find they don't rise quite so well in Aga - and only discovered that as I turned Aga off mid-July (trying to keep oil bills down for a couple of months ), however they are really really moist.

Am starting to drool now just thinking about it!

On another subject but related, does anyone bbake from Rachel Allen's books? I've got most of her books and recently have tried her chocolate hazelenut bars (OMG, just out of this world delicious, even w/out the nuts!) and a couple of cookie/shortbread recipes. Really recommend.

i feel like i should namechange but hey.. i'm going to ask anyway.. do you weigh the eggs with or without their shells?

Sifting flour - never done it - cakes hardly ever fail! I can never see the point particularly if your mixing or folding - youre getting air in the mixture that way so its just extra washing up and mess.

Quality flour & butter has to make a difference surely, I never skimp on the basics.

Ive leant so much from the Bake off TV programme. Never open the door until the very end (around 24 mins).

Crusty low edges are a sign that the tin is heating up too fast, turn the oven down and dont over cook. Its got to be moist not dry.

tweakers LOL! with the shells!!!

Right, cake has been tasted. Dad moaned a bit that it didn't look as good as the birthday cake I made for my mum (Nigella's Best Birthday Cake I think - its the one that just normal sponge sandwiched with custardy buttercream and topped with chocolate icing and hundreds and thousands) but as he asked for a VS I think he can go jump

My family thought it tasted good but the cake snob in me noticed that there was a bit of a gradient in moistness from the middle to the edge. It wasn't dry at any point but felt like it was bordering on it the last half inch towards the edge. Lovely texture though, not too dense a crumb and not so fine that it was crumbly. I think I need to pony up for some thicker tins rather than my Tesco specials I bought while skint at uni. However, to my family, as long as you've made it sweet enough, cake is cake.

i often do fresh cream and berries as one of my boys does not like the too sweet buttercream

I agree on good tins. I bought mine on offer in Lakeland, 3 for 2.

I never sift my flour either.

I always buy basic not top range flour/butter for baking. Although I always buy the Madagascan vanilla extract which is about £6 a bottle. We always buy good eggs.

Fresh cream and strawberry jam here too. No buttercream.

LOL tweaker - you asked what I didn't dare to :o

Millie - my golden brahma took agggesss to come into lay. Now she's got a lovely red face and lays some very respectable sized eggs (for a brahma). Fingers crossed your girlies get their acts together soon.

Well Saturday will be bake day, comp on Sunday, so I will report back. I have no chance, as I am being audacious and competing at another village's show . They will know that I am not from around these parts!

I invested in a couple of loose-bottomed Mermaid tins a few years ago - they're fab!

I honestly dont think the cheaper tins are too bad. If the edges are crusty just turn the oven down and get it out while it is just springy when touched.

Salty its my village show this Sunday . I can give you some very good tips...... if you use salt instead of sugar I assure you it will be a embarrassment winner!!!

LOL PA! Will you be entering the VS class?

It only works if you don't care.

Just chuck it together as quickly as you can, throw it in the oven (literally) and walk away until the timer bleeps.

Works for pastry too. All baking actually. Treat it with disdain.

WAAAAAIT!!!

Not bread though. You have to love bread.

Salty I will be WINNING the VS comp!!

PA - I hope it's not the same village show as I'd hate for you to be disappointed

Oh dont worry, I wont be. You can come and cry on my shoulder and we can share a bit of cake.

Just about to go and see the results.

Bunch of flipping amateurs I was up against today - buttercream filling, own plates used, icing sugar on top (all WI 'no nos') - and I'll still come last :o!

How'd you get on PA :)?

Well, of course I would have won, hands down.

Mother nature has decided to allow some of those amateurs to have a chance of their 2 minutes of glory as i am not well and not up to cake baking today.

So, even if yours is the same show, I really hope you came first.

Oh no PA - poor old you. I hope you feel better soon.

I didn't get placed (being an outsider and all that), but I did get a third for my flapjacks :o.