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.

Hmmm no tiara.

I could put on my wedding dress. No that's ridiculous.

Tell you what, I'll put in my diamond earings. And maybe put on my new Birkenstocks rather than my sensible echo walking sandals.

Slubs, I see my recectly shed townie status still pervades my modus operandi and advice re. tactics. I therefore retract my hasty advice to clobber the competition and second Anchovy's counsel to seek the favoured underdog position.

However, Califrau's point about match fixing due to your marital links is sage indeed. Your DH must seek a lowlier position in fete organisation next year for you to truly succeed. So not to hurt the male ego I would pitch this demotion to him as being akin to Dennis Thatcher's supportive role to the Iron Lady during her reign. You must be sure to advise him of the 5 year plan of course and if this create problems I am sure the nice ladies in Relationships will be able to assist.

oooh I'd love some tiffin.

We'll do a virtual swap when the Nigella is completed.

Right off to do Pre-school drop off.

see you later

interesting pennies....will think on that at length.

right must go

Ah jsut seen thread re. Dh's fete status. All is redemmed.

As for today's clothing decision I wold just do a Calendar Girls and do it in the buff! I'm sure that would make most things rise.

how do people cope with an oven without a glass door...

hemildmanneredjanitor - just drop tin on counter to get the biggest bubbles out of your VSC.

learning all the time!

tmmj, I think she dropped it from a high of 30 cm...
I'm still thinking of Barbara Pym. Actually, I'm going to re-read some of my favourites.

You see if I tried DROPPING, I guarantee you there would be splatters of cake mixture everywhere, and then the tin would slide off the surface on to the floor!!!

i am def spending too much time thinking about this - just as i was going to bed last night i started trying to think of occassions when i could bake a cake without eating it ll myself!
alos, suddenly remembered something in an aga cook book about standing the tin in a bigger tine of water - stops the sides from scorching & keeps moisture levels high? BUT that was for aga cooking & perhaps a little too poncy even for this?
btw - forget nigella (all flash and no substance) and even delia (young upstart) the place to go for TRUE cooking knowledge is Mary Berry!
Could you possible go back to your old house, explain the situation & negotiate a loan of the aga - swap them a cake for a couple of hours access? Let this be a lesson- next time you move house you should retain visitation rights.

my hero

The Nigella is in.

No need to drop this one, poured out of magimix like pancake batter. A drop would have been extremely foolish.

With regards to the Aga. Don't remember actally putting a cake into the tin of water. Upside down lemon suprise pudding yes, sponge no.
Our old house is currently vacant. And I have a feeling that I still have a set of keys. I could creep round there in the night, start up the aga, and come back the next night to make the cake.

Is a conviction for breaking and entering worth the rewards of doing well in the show????

KAA, I have Mary's Aga book. But not her cake one. I'm sure a friend has got it so will ask to borrow.

I also love Mary. Can't believe I thought of Delia before her.

no judge in this land would find you guilty after tasting a VSC baked in an aga

I am waiting for the results with interest. I will be interested in this. As I think I may have mentioned before, Nigella is very unreliable on the baking front.

Now, tactics. Make sure you don't try to cover too many angles at once. You don't want to be the woman who opens the fete and whose daughter is the Rose Queen and leader of the Pond Committee and Queen of the Rainbows or whatever. That would show that you are Trying Too Hard and that is very Un-British. Select a few key goals and infiltrate by stealth, would be my advice.

I'm still liking the Noble Failure approach in the first year of cake competition. As I have said, failure can be very bonding between you and the other recipients of cutting comments. You bond over this and slowly you will set up an alternative power base...

anchovy - i know nothing about these kind of stealth manouvres. obviously, this is why i have never got anywhere in life, in spite of my excellent cake baking skills!

The Nigella is out.

Shit I have a crater crust. Maybe I should have dropped it. No surface zittage though.

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. MIL will not be v impressed.

Anchovy re noble failure.

I would like to quote these words to you.

'I shall not cease from mental fight,
nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
'till we have built Jerusalem,
in Englands green and pleasant land'.

Now were those words inspired by a considered effort to fail in a cake baking competition?

I think not.

righto off to rythmn time.

back later for the full account of the nigella.

Slubbers, William Blake also wrote "The cut worm forgives the plough". I bet it doesn't. I think therefore his words should be treated with a pinch of salt.

Don't say I didn't warn you about Nigella...

haven't got time to read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been mentioned but i belive ingredients (esp. eggs) at room temperature when you start helps avoid curdling (and therefore a heavy sponge).

And Nigella has a cheat's rasp jam recipe involving just sticking rasps and sugar in the oven. Doesn't keep well, but would be easy enough to make on the eve of the show I think. Will copy recipe for you if you like.

Anchovy, hmmmm yes that worm quote is rather daft (but has made me think about can a worm experience forgiveness. Rage obviously yes, but regret at things past, I'm not so sure).

midnightexpress, yes eggs and butter at room temp. Although there is nothing of either left in my house now.

The Nigella (so far) has been a great disappointment (I know, I know I was warned etc). Haven't eaten it yet but the overall look is disapointing. Tried to hide the crater with a heavy handed splash of icing sugar...total fuck up.

Have stuck two fingers up at the rules and added whipped cream and whole strawberries to the filling.

Unless it tastes like sponge dropped down from on high by the Good Lord himself then I won't be doing this one again.