Victoria Sponge Cake

Method:

You’ll enjoy every mouthful of this this fluffy sponge cake.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line 2 cake tins.

Combine the flour, baking soda and sugar together in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, syrup and vanilla.

Once fully combined, mix the dry ingredients with the wet and whisk until thick and creamy like runny ice cream. Spoon the mixture into the cake tins, separating evenly and rounding off the tops with a knife.

Bake for 40-45 minutes in the middle of the oven. Once the mixture is brown and starts to come away from the edges of the cake tin, it’s baked.

Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes in the cake tins, then take out and cool for a further 15 minutes on a wire rack.

Now you can make the “buttercream” – beat together the spread, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until there are no lumps.

Once your cakes are completely cool, spread all the jam over the top of one cake and spoon in 2-3 Tbsp of the “buttercream.” Top with the second cake and spread the remaining “buttercream” on top.

Sift icing sugar over the top or decorate with the halves strawberries.

In winter, swap the strawberries for apples (or other seasonal fruit), stewed with sugar and water.

Recipe adapted from Carly Trigg, My Well Being Journal

Ingredients:

• 400g self-raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 120ml sunflower oil
• 400ml soy or almond milk
• 3 Tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 4 Tbsp strawberry jam
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 150g fresh strawberries, halves (to decorate)

For the “buttercream”:

• 200g dairy-free spread
• 175g icing sugar, sifted