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.

[ChippyMinton]

here's the GH currrent recipe The filling's too poncey though
And:
COOK'S TIP
Our Good Housekeeping cooks achieved the deepest, lightest sponge cake with a handheld electric whisk - far better than when we used a large freestanding mixer. Food processors are fine to use for all-in-one sponge cakes when you're really short of time, although the cake will never be quite as light and airy.

[Oenophile]

I took a third at our local show with my Victoria Sponge last year

Had the same panics about the mean ol' judge's comments, which I had seen the previous year - they don't hold back, some of those old biddies - and I was up baking till MIDNIGHT the night before with 5 rejects before I got two evenly risen matching ones. (Yes, I did know I must be mad by this time.) Was not helped by DD2 mistaking a Possible cake for a Failure and breaking it in half to eat it.

Your chances probably depend on how big your show is and how many wonderful bakers in the area, mine might not have taken a third at some more highly respected event, and even at my show there was a woman who took the first in EVERY cake class and probably had since the year dot. Her cakes just did not look like the rest of ours. It may have been Delia, in fact. She even won the Men's Cake Class - err at least, her husband did....

Anyway FWIW I did use the 'whizz all ingredients together at once' method and the cakes didn't seem to be any worse than the old creaming method (in fact I always make cakes that way now).

No cream, as you know.
I used (seedless) raspberry jam.
I did shake caster sugar on the top.
Didn't doily.

I did 5(flour)/4/4 two eggs, dsp of milk, which I think works better than 4/4/4. But you need a few dry runs, to be sure as ovens etc vary.

I'm definitely entering again this year because the joy! the pure, sensual joy! of seeing a little blue card next to my cake was second to none, well second only to the time our cheap, mongrel pony took a third in a showing class.

BTW if the name of your village begins with a W and ends in an E you are going to be a rival! in which case ignore all previous advice, use oodles of baking powder and make sure the cake doesn't get too hot by opening the oven door several times and fanning it rapidly up and down.

[ChippyMinton]

are you in surrey oeno?

[themoon66]

Okey dokey.... BEST trick..... instead of weights on the weight end of your scale, you put your eggs (3 or 4 depending on cake tin size). You then weigh the flour, fat and sugar using eggs as weights.

God am rambling like a loon due to wine.

[francagoestohollywood]

I think I love this thread

[Oenophile]

Not in Surrey phew

BTW agree with poster who said not a magimix but a handheld mixer - with the beaters - gets more air in - want it light when the judge takes her delicate little nibble.

[yoyo]

Good excuse to buy a KitchenAid - fab cakes no problem. Use GH recipe and sieve the jam so you get quality without the seeds. All-in-one just doesn't get the lightness I find. Butter is a must. Try different sugars - caster seems to vary from shop-to-shop in terms of graininess.

[suzywong]

haven't read the whole thread but I do remember seeing somewhere that They can take off marks for marks of the cooling rack imprinted on the bottom of the cake and you have to actually turn it out on to rack that is covered with a teatowel or some specially crafted device that only They know about to stop the wire of the cake rack leaving marks.

Seriously


Califrau is, however, making it up about the jam thing, that can't be true

[sugarfree]

I think you will get away with shop bought jam as long as it ia poncey variety and very expensive.

[misdee]

grrr @ this thread. i am now baking lol.

and i dont even have a village show to enter.

[Slubberdegullion]

OK VSC update. (will read the late night suggetions in a min).

Have just got back from church. During the service I was thinking long and hard about this situation (apologies Lord, I did sing the hymns with gusto to make up for not concentrating on the sermon), and I concluded that I would have to just reveal my newbie status and ask. I cannot deal with the finger pointing and mockery if I cock it up.

So anyway at cofee in the Parish Hall afterwards I cornered the Rectors wife and asked her to point me in the direction of people in the know.

I was promptly introduced the the winner of the VSC catagory 2 years running. I can tell you lot that there may well have been a smile upon her lips as she talked me through the finer points, but there was a steely glint in her eye.

Here are the fundamentals:

No cream

Thick layer of jam (marks deducted for scrimping). Raspberry. Seedless/seeded depends upon the preference of the judge on the day. Bit of a gamble that one.

Light dusting of caster sugar only. (patterns right out).

White china plate with a nice doilly.

The judges look for a nice smooth edge to the cake. Fluted nonsense out of a poncy liner is frowned upon.

Above all they are looking for a good taste. Butter is a must. No exact recipe has to be followed (wiggle room there to introduce the nigella recipe??), but Mrs VSC winner did reccomend the 6/6/6 option as being particularly popular.

Whew. This is quite some undertaking I have realised.

[misdee]

lol @ steely glint.

have fun practising and perfecting your VSC.

[robinpud]

suzy is quite right- marks deducted for marks from wire rack. Can't believe that you can use own recipe. Every cooking category in my village has recipe clearly specified.
you can't beat Delia's all in one with baking powder made on the morning imo.

anyone remember who won last year.. was it Phil or Jill archer please???

good luck!

[flibbertyjibbet]

I would never consider making any home made baking with anything but butter!
Also, GH 1950's book states to use caster sugar in the cake (not just for dusting) as this creams in better.

You wont' be able to do your own home made jam before this years fetes etc as fruit for jam is out at the END of the summer. sorry but we've eaten all last years damson jam and blackberry jelly (seedless jam that is), or I could have sold you some at a premium .
But I can see them marking down for using hartleys etc as there is nothing better than home made jam (especially MINE!!), and experienced taste buds can tell the difference. My sons 2nd birthday cake for nursery was a bit of a disaster decorating wise, but they were all said the home made jam in the middle was absolutely delish.

[Slubberdegullion]

Oenophile . Third place. I would love a 3rd. That would make my year.

Don't worry I'm up North, no competition here for you.

Well I'm a little concerned about cooling rack imprints now. How does one avoid such a thing?

And what constitutes a good raspberry jam. I used sweet tip raspberry yesterday which was very pleasant?

[SlightlyMadStilton]

I can recommend McDougals supreme sponge flour for giving a good rise.

[Slubberdegullion]

oops ?in the wrong place there.

sweet tip was pleasant . (full stop)

good raspberry jam ? (question mark)

Maybe I should go to another local village fair and buy up some homemade rasp. jam. That wouldn't be cheating would it?

[Slubberdegullion]

SMS, McDougals sponge flour now copied and pasted into my VSC knowledge word document.

I'm looking for a good rise. points for that.

[flibbertyjibbet]

Did anyone else say that for light cakes, SIFTING the flour into the bowl through a sieve is absolutely essential. Then when mixing the other items in don't bash it about too much or you will knock all the air out.
Line cake tins with greaseproof paper- circle for the bottom with a strip around the sides, so that the creases from where the bottom bit go up the sides a bit are not in contact with the cake. This way you lift them out by the paper then carefully peel it off. Also use cake tins with loose bottoms, you just push the bottom up and voila cake out. No idea about what to put it on to avoid cooling rack marks, will give that one some thought.
Of course you will have to do lots of practising before the big day, where do you live, sounds like there will be a lot of cake going about..

[flibbertyjibbet]

oooo, I'm up north too!!! CAKE CAKE CAKE!!! Which village show is it and when, might trundle along with kids.

[Slubberdegullion]

Oooh flibberty, I'm not sure I'm confident in my cake yet to reveal where I am going to show it.

I did comply with deliah's instructions to sift flour from a height. My arm was right up in the air and most of the flour got into the bowl. Of course all that effort was for nowt as I used the wrong sized tins.

[SlightlyMadStilton]

Maybe leaving the greasproof (or even loose bas of a spring base tin) on the base of the cake whilst on cooling rack will prevent lines?

I would get some homemade jam from a farm shop or something of the sort.

I personally like to put my jam on whilst the cake is slightly warm so it melts into sponge. Not sure how that will fair in this instance though?

Oh and it is McDougalls supreme sponge flour....says no need to sift - but I do anyway as I find it therapuetic

[Slubberdegullion]

supreme sponge flour, supreme sponge flour. yes. Do they do a rather run of the mill sponge flour then??

Ok at next practice will leave baking parchment on the base during cooling and assess if imprints are prevented thus.

[Slubberdegullion]

I am also fond of jam application whilst warm. I believe it assists with jam adherence.