making a cake for my granny- pressure!

[thislittlesisterlola]

I'm seeing my grandfolk this wkend and I've decided to make a cake for tea. I'm thinking a nice victoria sponge with homemade jam?
Does anyone have any tips on how to get the perfect cake? I am used to making wheatfree cakes and this will be a wheat one... help please!

Thank you all very much

Use a fresh bag of self raising flour - it stales very quickly

Beat the fat and sugar for as long as you can for a light sponge

Thread on here a week or so ago people were swearing by Stork instead of butter for a lighter sponge, so maybe try that.

You could get all fancy with the filling, with curds or rhubarb and mascarpone etc but I find the grandfolk appreciate the traditional more. Mine love a plain Madeira cake.

Actually I don't have any grandparents myself sorry they all popped their clogs decades ago. < old >

I meant the DC's grandparents. Oops.

Do it in a food processor if you have one. It never fails. Weigh it all out carefully, bung it all in and whizz until it looks shiny. But only just, not too long.
Divide between 2 sandwich tins and put it in a preheated oven about 180 C, 5 gas.

6oz SR flour
6oz sugar
6oz SOFT margarine (not block)
3 big eggs

that's it, nothing else.

Oh and grease and flour your tins so the cake pops out.

I am very jealous of you seeing grandparents, I miss mine!

Depending on the parents/in-laws concerned they'll either a) love it no matter how it turns out or b) hate it no matter how it turns out. So I wouldn't worry too much on that score.

My tip for a perfect cake would be to dig out Delia Smith's recipe for a basic sponge... it's great.... use scales to measure the ingredients accurately and make sure you have the right-size tin according to the recipe.

Good luck

Thank you all, I'm not sure anything will be enough tbh but hey.
Thank you for the butter/marg and flour tips thats great. I had no idea about the flour thing.

Im going to make it the day before... wise? I always thought cakes tasted better the day after or that an old wives tale?

waddles due to large bump off to sainsburys to buy supplies

There is every good reason to make the cake the day before (less to do on the day etc,) and if doing a Madeira, I would. For a Victoria, I would make in the morning as Victorias can begin to go stale rather quicker than Madeiras, and you also don't want the cream/jam soaking into the cake. It has a nicer balance of textures if you can assemble it just before they come through the door.