Sponge cake question

[AInightingale]

Son has to make a Victoria sponge for his HE course this year, research recipe he can use, etc. We thought we were safe with Mary Berry, the recipe on the BBC website, but it's made a very heavy sponge with bubbles on top. It is an all-in rather than a creaming method, i.e. she instructs that you break the eggs into the bowl first, then add the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder all at the same time. I was taught that you definitely cream the butter and sugar first, then add eggs and fold in flour? I know the method she uses works okay for cupcakes, but it certainly hasn't worked for a cake. (I'll still eat it obviously. 😊)

You might’ve over mixed it and that develops gluten or it may be that the baking powder was old if you don’t bake often.

The all in one method works fine, you can cream the butter and sugar but do it till it’s pale. Sponge flour works really well.

I would trust the WI on this one

https://www.thewi.org.uk/lifelong-learning/the-wi-is-what-you-make-it/food-and-lifestyle/recipes/recipes/baking-bread,-cakes-and-treats/wi-victoria-sandwich

I use the Good Food classic victoria sandwich recipe. It's also an all-in-one recipe, which feels like cheating, but always turns out absolutely fine, so I don't know what has happened to your son's.

I think we maybe overmixed it? Also used medium eggs, maybe MB meant large.

Weigh your eggs - in their shells, then use equal weight of flour, butter, sugar. Cream butter and sugar first, then one egg at a time with a spoonful of flour with each. Beat well, fold in rest of the flour. I usually add a teaspoon of baking powder with the flour too.

An all in one should work fine, was it a very stiff dry mix? Maybe the smaller eggs didn't help, I find it needs a splash of milk too if too thick. Really soft butter too, are we talking real butter? There is no doubt ignoring the health/ingredients type argument that half butter/half baking spread like stork or similar gives a better result than all butter. That said I use all butter for my own family!

https://www.janespatisserie.com/2023/04/21/coronation-victoria-sponge/#wprm-recipe-container-29178

I like a janes patisserie recipe. She always uses medium eggs. I would also weigh the eggs and match the weight in flour, sugar, baking spread (i use own brand spread e.g. aldi, lidl, Tesco, etc). Beat spread and sugar together first, beat in eggs and then add flour and mix until just incorporated (dont over mix).

I agree with this. Four eggs makes a good 8”/20cm Victoria sponge.

I did use spread @ThatHeartyHelper as the recipe listed 'baking spread.'
I had a slice and it wasn't too bad, not exactly 'airy' but not as heavy as I feared when I was waiting for the sponges to cool, they seemed quite dense. And disguised the bubbly top with a nice sifting of icing sugar...
The school advised using the BBC food website, but I really think the traditional method i.e. creaming fat and sugar and adding eggs one by one is better.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/food_and_recipes/336778-rules-for-village-show-victoria-sponge-cake?page=1

I find the Mary Berry works well, but your question brought to mind this very funny thread from long ago!

The type of spread really matters if you are using spread, a standard butter substitute like for bread will not be the best, too much water content in the spread will ruin it. The likes of tub stork or own brand equivalents are best but half and half those with real very soft butter gives the best result in my opinion.

Yes to this recipe, but I would say make sure the butter is really soft, and beat it well before adding the sugar. Then beat together until super pale, then beat in the eggs before folding in the flour. Don’t overmix 😊

I agree it should be fine with all in one.

I wanted to check your eggs aren't coming straight from the fridge, as cold eggs can make the butter curdle as well as trapping less air than room temperature eggs, meaning it doesn't rise as well. Cold ingredients also lower the overall temperature of the batter which can cause the middle to sink.

To make a good Victoria sponge you need an electric whisk or stand mixer.
You must beat the sugar and room temp butter for at least 3-5 mins
then add the eggs mixing in for less than a minute then then fold in the flour.

Oh yes and using stork margarine will help make a light and fluffy sponge. But of course butter is best for taste although you’ll not taste the stork. Use self raising flour and baking powder as per the recipe

Try a Delia Smith recipe

This is exactly the method I use. Always works.

The eggs were actually sitting on the kitchen table all night cos I defrosted the fridge overnight, so they were definitely room temperature! Cracking them all into the bowl before the other ingredients just seems weird though, nearly sure that we actually were taught to beat them before putting them in to get a bit of air in the mixture.

I always do delias all in one sponge unless it’s for a much larger cake. It really works completely fine - i think using self raising flour and baking powder gives the lift and there’s no need to spend ages creaming butter and sugar.
https://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/first-term-perfect-cakes/lesson-1-classic-sponge-cake

I've always done as my mum did ( who learned from her mum) and used the 4, 4, 4, 2 formation method - cream 4oz butter and sugar, add 4oz SR flour (with a tsp of BP) and then mix in 2 eggs. Mum only ever bought medium eggs and always used Stork for baking - I only buy large and use butter, but the results seem similar.

I don't use butter or spread at all - this recipe is super easy and gives a very light sponge
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/basic-sponge-cake/5a6ac28a-f4a4-4ebf-99e1-bc87247752d4

I don’t get on with Mary Berry recipes. Delia works better for me.

A Victoria Sponge needs to be made by the creaming method IMO. All-in-one method gives the wrong texture and a domed shape.

For AIO I use self raising flour and do not add any baking powder. I put the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, brief whisk or stir to combine them, then add the wet ingredients on top. Mix on a lowish setting to roughly combine, scrape down the sides and up the base to get all the bits, then beat on medium setting just until the mixture changes colour (usually about 1-1.5 minutes). Bake at 180C.

It is easy to overbeat anAIO, which can result in a heavy cake with uneven bubbles.

Butter is the best fat for sponge cakes. Ultra-processed fats may give a better rise and finer crumb, but butter gives the best flavour.

I bake cakes at 160⁰C for a fan oven. Oven being too hot can make the cake dome as it rises too quickly

Nope. I stopped making sponge cakes this way years ago.

I weight my eggs and use equal weights of self raising flour, Stork margarine (cakes are lighter with this than when using butter) and sugar plus a some vanilla extract and a teaspoon of baking powder.

The all in one method works perfectly and I am often asked to bake for other people. The trick is to stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are blended as overmixing results in developing the gluten.

It is important that everything is weighed correctly, the tins are the right size (greased and lined with baking parchment - this is important) and the oven is the right temperature (160 deg fan, 180 deg non fan or gas mark 4). I use 7 inch cake tins for 2 egg and 3 egg mixtures and 8 inch tins for 4 egg mixtures.

Everything already said.
Fat must not have too much water in it
Make sure you mix an all in one for about 3 mins, not just mixing all ingredients together.
Then, really importantly, Get the cakes into their tins quickly, don’t faff too much making them exactly smooth, and into the pre heated oven quickly. The raising agents start to work as soon as they are wet, so if you don’t move quickly the raising all happens outside the oven and of course is lost. This might cause the bubbles on top

That's a lovely sponge but it's not a Victoria sponge so if it's for a course type project it just wouldn't qualify.

I think too the word 'butter' is being used to mean any fat source but it really matters what product is being used, the tub of fake low fat spread on the table for toast will not produce a good cake that needs a certain fat content. Added water/oil to the spreads effects the results, either use a tub meant for baking or real butter (very soft) or a mix of both.