Overcooked outside/undercooked inside - Victoria Sponge

[Bavmorda]

Hi

I'm practising for my DDs birthday cake. It needs to be quite big so I'm using a 9 inch pan. Today I used the Mary Berry VS recipe using 4 eggs. It's OK, but as the title says it's a bit too "crusty" on the outside I think a bit too moist on the inside. (Cooked in a non fan oven at 180).

Does anyone have any suggestions which might result in a more even bake? I thought about splitting the mix between 2 pans but even with all of this mix, there wasn't loads in the tin and I don't like ending up stacking several thin uneven layers. I was hoping to just make two big cakes and put one on top of the other.

Thanks!

I would try a slightly cooler oven for a slightly longer time. I always bake sponge cakes at 170 (or what my oven says is 170). That would be for cake mix split between two pans. For a deeper cake, I would probably do 150 - 160 for between 35 and 40 minutes.

I did a 4 egg mix in 2 tins for a birthday cake at the weekend and that was cooked at 160 and came out really well. If doing in 1 tin I would probably drop to 150.

Thanks very much all - will try a lower temp for longer as suggested. Got time to practice!