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.

The ingredients were quite alarming to me, never mind an English WI judge !! I reckon there might be something in the sifting and dropping business though. I am now worrying myself about how into the theory of VSCs I am getting T

Oenophile regarding your jam questions. Well I'm even more of a jam virgin than a VSC one, but the judges on last nights Great British show prog were most definately against the wax disc.

I sensed they were looking for a nice clean jar, with attractive homemade label. And def. no gingham hat.

My chutney has no wax lid. And is in a nice clean jar. It does unfortunately have a glitter christmas tree stuck on the side by dd1 (made for christmas presents). I'm bound to be disqualified for that but it might just charm the judges into trying it. It's bloody gorg once tasted btw

Well I tell you what chocpot. I'll say a prayer and drop the Bishop's VSC. If its another victoria sponge biscuit then you are to blame.

Priceless, priceless thread. One of the best I've seen for ages! I never even knew such competitons existed! Have just moved t'country though so need to aquaint myself with the rural mores before I get the competitive bug and start baking in a frenzy.

Thank you Slubber

Pennies, I've been in this village for nearly 4 years and have only this year plucked up the courage to enter. It is a rite of passage to being fully accepted here I think.

Do you know what I like? A pattern on the top made by sifting icing sugar through a doiley! In an ironic, retro manner, obviously...

St Delia has one immutable rule which you have already broken, which is that you must use the right sized tins for the mixture. Have you got her "How to Cook" books - the white ones? One of those has pages of instructions on the zen of VSC's.

Do not trust Nigella - she is a baking strumpet and that "Domestic Goddess" book is very unreliable.

I will do an inital recce at our village fete in July, at which our new playground is being officially opened. Have managed to totally convince DH that the Queen is coming to open said playground!! Will be too intersted in maintaining the charade to get actively involved in any competitions.

Anchovy I have been lent Dehlia's book of cakes. Its is undoubtably about 30 years old as she is looking as fresh as the morning dew on the front. With a bowl haircut to die for. I followed her classic VSC recp....but will up the amounts tomorrow for the Bishop.

I do not think that WI judges 'do' retro ironic. I will be utterly subservient to tradition and do light dusting of caster only.

Anchovy, I am also a little bit shify with regards to Nigella. However,I did follow her instrustions re the 12 hour drowning of the turkey in the infused brine on christmas eve.

Wel there was a lot of 's on Christmas day from my mother and DH's granny. But oh did they retract their 's, it was a very moist turkey indeed.

Blimey! I saw that turkey recipe on Nigella's show and me and DH were amazed that anyone would ever do it!!

Nigella's quite hit and miss I find. Her fairy cakes are sublime though.

Drown your Turkey pennies. You will not regret it I promise.

You need a big bucket mind if you have a big bird.

yes, yes you must drop it
in fact you should tap ANY tin of cake batter on the bench to get air bubbles out

ah good back to VSc thank you suzy.

I still don't understand, if you have gone to all that effort of putting air in (and have denied yourself use of the magimix), then why are you trying to bash air out of it before you put it in the oven?

because you just must!!!! you are not knocking air out but warding off any huge rogue air bubbles that may mutate and explode and give yo ua crater crust

whoah I absolutely want to avoid a crater crust. Well I am converted. I will be dropping all my cakes from now on.

As no-one else has said it (love this thread!) re. the butter/marge question, I have two words for you:

Flora Buttery!

I switched to this from using unsalted butter in my church cake sale VSCs, as it was getting too pricey for the 5 or 6 cakes I was making and too timeconsuming whisking up butter rather than soft marge.

No-one has noticed... in fact, I have received rather more compliments on the moistness of the cakes since I made the switch.

I use the blessed Delia's all-in-one recipe myself, but have noticed that the proportions of Nigella's VSC can be substituted if you've got a bigger tin (have not tried using cornflour, may give that a whizz when reputation of church cakestall is not at stake...)

As for jam, a nice thick raspberry is the Bonne Maman one, but if you like seedless then I've found Morrison's own to be perfectly acceptable (and again, undetectable in origin!).

I think Nigella is fine in many regards. But she has a bit of a slapdash element to her that just doesn't work with baking. Have done lots of the "How to Eat" recipes with fantastic results but I do think with baking you do need to be quite precise and she really isn't.

St Delia really won't let you down. I'm going to go and read the pages in "How to Cook" about sponge cakes and see if I can come back with any words of enlightenment...

(But I do remember its very important to make sure your eggs are at room temperature!)

Lovecat are you absolutely sure they will not be able to notice the difference?

I will quote directly from St.Delia:

'Everyone liked the texture of the all-in-one (with marg), but tasted side-by-side the Victoria Sandwich (containing butter) did have a slightly better flavour - though how often are they likely to be tasted side-by-side?'

Well not very often Delia, except at a Village Show (would be my reply).

I am concerned that what I may gain in lightness I will loose on flavour. This compromise does not sit easily in my waters.

I have committed myself fully to the Bishops Tea party. One of his minions is coming to collect VSC mkII tomorrow pm.

(Apologies for my spelling on this thread. In my excitement to share and learn I have lost the ability to spell and punctuate in the correct manner).

I think we need pictures so we can monitor your progress from VSC#2 til VSC#Show Day.

Why is this thread so absorbing? I am hypnotised by all your talk of a perfect VSC. In the past 2 years I have escaped village life to live in the city. But.. damn you all...I want to make a sponge cake!
Kick ass Slubber

ok, a bit lost in translation here: what do you mean about dropping the cake?
Should I ditch Nigella and convert to Delia (at least cakewise)? oh, I have so much to learn...

OK all, VSC MkII (aka The Bishop's sponge:alpha version) is now in the oven.

Tonight I have opted for:

Delia's 6/6/6 option with;

unsalted butter

McDougals supreme sponge flour (sifted twice - from a great height)

3 large free range eggs

Tate&Lyle caster sugar (am still awaiting advice on this ingredient)

20cm tin

Tins with mix dropped twice pre oven entry.

I can tell you, I'm quite tense here.