Victoria sponge recipe different flavours & fillings?

[realhousewife44]

After quite a few attempts, I've really got the hang of a Mary Berry Victoria sponge recipe. The cakes come out really lovely every time. Is there anything I can do with the basic recipe to get different flavor combinations to expand my repertoire? Up to now I've just done jam & fresh cream or lemon curd and fresh cream. Could I adapt the recipe to make a chocolate version? Anything else I can add to the batter for a different flavour. What other fillings are nice?

Swap a table spoon of flour for cocoa
Fill with buttercream or fruit and fresh cream.
Lemon zest or oil in the batter, Vanilla buttercream, and lemon/sugar syrup drizzled over the top.
Coffee butter cream is lovely, in a chocolate cake or a vanilla cake with walnuts pressed into the buttercream.

Chocolate and cherry jam
Raspberry and cream

La Berry has a lovely recipe for an Orange Spiced Cake

it really is a nice cake.

My copy of the Mary Berry Ultimate Cake Book has these variations on Victoria sandwich -

Orange - add grated orange zest, use marmalade. Lemon is done in the same way.

Coffee - add two heaped teaspoons instant coffee. I'd use espresso powder personally. Make coffee buttercream to fill.

Chocolate - dissolve 2 tablespoons cocoa in 3 tablespoons boiling water, cool slightly and add to mixture.

I replace 50g of the flour with ground almonds and a tsp of almond essence. Then for the filling I make almond buttercream and add raspberry jam. Voila! Bakewell Cake!

Great suggestions, thanks all!

Lemon and passion fruit curd is good

Hi what version of the book do you have . Thanks