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.

for slubber

i'm sorry slub but am laughing on those ones.

ooh callmemadam that's a fab idea, thanks

slubber - if ti makes you feel any better i've just broken mine in half!! sheer clumsiness - oven glove got in the way as i turned it out. 'twas a half way decent one as well!

dh (who is working v long hours) will not be impressed if i ask him to sort out photos when he eventually gets home tonight, so don't ask!

Slubber - what are those weird-looking liners?

aww chippy, I'm having a little weep here. I will arise tomorrow morning and have another stab at the MkIV.

KAA oops-a-daisy. This endevour is filled with pitfalls for us all.

yeah chippy - it tastes fantastic

Slubber have a hankie to slubber into....I think the liners should go in the bin...

BUT how is the zittage - any improvement there? Have you learnt anything about the important zittage issue?

Now my problem is than mine rise like volcanoes. Last time I made one the edges of each layer were about 3/4" high. The middle was 2+" .

Apparently my outside is cooking too quickly and sets so it can't rise at teh edges and all explodes in a spectacular rise in teh middle...and ends up cracking.

If I wrap a think wet strip of towel around the outside of my tins - attaching with a safety pin it will cool the outside of the tin and allow it to cook at a more even rate.

oh dear what happened there slubs?

baking911 you may have missed this link slubber (i think it's where SMS is getting her expertise from

I only got the towel wrapping from baking911...everything else came from one of the links I posted earlier.

The weird bubbles mean your oven is too hot.

Are you using room temp butter. i.e. left out over night a knife on it's side can go right through it easily?

18cm tins. Lined with baking paper. I alwyas leave about an inch higher than the tin sticking up. How deep are your tins btw? Your tin lining is iffy tbh. Ideally you cut out a length two inches deeper than your tin depth fold up an inch then cut slits down to the fold all the way down so it sits neatly in your round tin. A little butter in the tin ensure the lining paper sits nicely while you put the mixture in.

Don't bang the tin you will knock the air out. Whole point is to put air in.

Personally I always use the all in one method and they are alwyas fine. But if you must beat the butter and the sugar together it should be pale and creamy afterwards. Whisk your eggs up before adding them then add them a teeny bit at a time. use large eggs btw.

adding the eggs a wee bit at a time prevents curdling (makes the sponge heavier.

Fold in the flour (sifting from a high height obv) with a metal tablespoon. about a quarter at a time.

If it does not drop off the spoon at a sharp tap add hot water one or two teasponfuls.

when you are putting the mixture in make sure it is flattish, delia9who some of these tips are gleaned from - but tried and tested by me) says use balance scales to ensure your mixture is evenly divided but that sounds a bit mental to me.

2 egg mixture gives two one in sponges. 3 eggs higher obv. Delia frown on more in 72 tins as it does not balance with the filling. Apparently if you do deeper you should cut each sponge in half to have more layers of filling. Which is jam only btw. and sifted with icing sugar.

hope this helps.

oh and 25 to 30 mins at 170 trad oven.

I have added my cake on the picturetrail.com. MNCakeComp. It was ever so slightly fucked as in it sunk. This hasn't happened to me bfore so can anyone tell me why.

What's the 'all in one' method?!

link ucm

UCM - search this page for "A CAKE WHICH HAS SUNK IN THE MIDDLE" for some ideas on sinking

here is UCMs Sunken Cake

well, it looks slightly depressed, but I'd kill for that slice right now.

ProjectIcarus, wow, did all of that just come out of your head, without notes or anything. I'm deeply impressed

Will turn oven down, have had it at 170 but maybe its more powerful than I think.

Everything in kitchen is at room temp, apart from me & my oven ...eggs are not cold (I promise).

Will try the MkIV tomorrow without the stupid liners.

Thankyou

is it yummie, did you taste it?

UCM that looks great, what fabulous rise. Yhe wedge looks a bit...er thin at the thin end, but def. edible. yum.

Used icing sugar....a brave decision indeed

I haven't stopped eating it, there is only half left, it doesn't taste light & fluffy though. Hang on I will ask Dh his op.

'The cake was very nice but the Jam was better, it wasn't as heavy as it looked'.

I put homemade (not by me) Morello Cherry Jam in it.

morello cherry....it must be delicious