Rules for Village Show Victoria Sponge Cake

[Slubberdegullion]

So I am taking the plunge and am going to enter a Victoria Sponge Cake into our local village show.

I'm not pussy-footing around with lemon curd. Oh no, straight into the Blue Riband event.

But I am a little afraid as I know there are rules. And these rules are not written down. If you have to ask, well you shoudn't be entering (well that's what I am sensing).

So I'm going to ask in happy annonymity here.

Size (18 or 20cm)?
Butter or marg?
What type of jam?
Cream filling?
Icing sugar or caster sugar on the top?
Doilly? (Sp?)

Seasoned village show entrants (or judges) your help gladly recieved.

Slubber - are you not torn by the devil's mix being used for Bishop's Alpha. Something not right there for me. Are you turning a cake compo into a battle of Good and Evil by presenting him with a cake that incorporates the number of the beast?

lol pennies.

I think the raspberry jam (with seeds) negates the satanic proportions.

But those seeds have a devilish habit of getting stuck in your teeth!

Bet it tastes heavenly though!

lol pennies - i had very same thoughwhilst typing - made sure to put slashes in between, to ward off any nasties.

No no you must seive away the seeds

Message withdrawn

I do not currently own a sieve with small enough holes for that particular activity.

And anway some judges prefer seeds.

Fine plastic mesh?
Or metal?
I have no idea!

LOL at cod's mother.

Shit, completely forgot about the cake. Better go and apply jam now. And then to bed, up early for Bishop's beta.

Sweet dreams. Will check for update in the morning.

A thought re free range/organic eggs eggs.They are yellower and more eggy tasting.You don't want a bright yellow eggy tasting cake therefore might this be the one time where battery eggs may be permissable.
Hope this may liven up the egg debate and then we can move onto sugar.
My thoughts being,white castor sugar rather than the golden stuff.

wakey wakey you lot.. there are cakes to be baked and ingredients to be discussed.
what does one wear to a boshop's tea party btw?

That Delia cake book is a gem; every recipe in it that I have ever done is fab. Hang on to it as it has been out of print for years.

Do I need to go away and hang my head in shame over the fact that the Bishop's alpha cake had zits because of the dropping ?

I still stand by this dropping malarky though, I don't think you dropped it from high enough. Kickassangel (whose VSC knowledge is absolutely inspirational) said 2 feet originally and 30cm is only a foot.

We're off to stay with my very good friend at the weekend in deepest darkest rural Somerset. She's the queen of Aga cooking and produces cakes that are definitely worthy of a placing at the village show and I've never asked her but I would put money on her entering now I think about it. We don't tend to discuss cakes as she knows I am rubbish, however I can see a whole new direction that conversation after dinner will now take - she might even now let me put the kettle on the Aga now I am in the know about VSCs.

Free range / organic are not always yellower -- depends on the diet (many battery hens have additives added to their diet to make the yolks yellower).

So we need to find an organic supplier of pale yolked eggs then.

I can't believe I've only just found this - has had me enthralled, and am currently crying tears of laughter at Slubber filing off the VSC's zits!!!

Hope all goes well with the Bishop!

(am dying to get get out of work now and do some baking!!)

I'm making cupcakes today...

Right Bishop's Sponge beta now in.

Dropped from maybe 70cms today (x2). Finger run round rim to prevent unsightly lip.

re eggs: will try and go to farmers market on w/e to discuss with the egg lady re free range with light yellow yolks. She has many a variety on offer (inc duck eggs) so I'm sure she will be of assistance. (middle class chicken welfare anxieties I think will prevent me from buying battery eggs, even if it does cost me a placing...at least my concious will remain clean.)

Very sadly, I will not be able to attend the Bishop's tea party (and I have a lovely cream and navy outfit that would have been just perfect), as I have to honour my commitments to my Rainbow Guides.

My VSC's will be my representatives there instead.

and yes you chocpot , I am holding you and suzy fully responsible if the Bishops beta is zitty. At least the markI (aka the biscuit) had a nice smooth top.

Better go and check it now (dont worry I wont be opening the door). Will report back at lunch as have to go to Toddlers.

Bugger, mild zittage and lip still present.

have to work on this ladies. Presentation v important.

back later.

Let me get this straight slubber, you are not going to be there but your cakes are? Who is going to report any comment back to you?

I don't think you want the Bishop's Cake to be perfect, though. That would be seen as an aggressive "throwing down the gauntlet" style action, which is inappropriate at any time and particularly so in the bishop's presence.

I think you have 2 options. Option one, make it fair-to-middling, to throw people off the scent. If they think it is perfect they will feel threatened and start honing their own techniques. With due respect, I don't think we are ready for turbo-charged competition yet.

Option two is to make it slightly-less-than-adequate, and then see if you can play the sympathy card and get all the motherly cake-whizzes to give you lots of tips (because let's face it, they won't feel threatened).

This isn't all about recipes - there's tactics and strategy to consider as well...

Are you using sandwich tins or are you using larger (18 or 20 inch) tins. Sandwich tins can sometins be too shallow.

If you are getting good at getting the cake to rise (and it sounds like you are), then you will have problems with the cake rising and spilling over the edge of a sandwich tin and creating a lip. I now use a pair of "taller" (Christmas cake type) cake tins and don't have that problem any more.