#WEIGH OUT MARGARINE SELF-RAISING FLOUR AND SUGAR IN THAT AMOUNT

[jupitercl0uds]

I NEED TO BAKE A CAKE RAAAAAAAAA

[bakingthedetectives]

What the Dickens!? A Totally Not Poisoned Victoria Sponge for Mrs Maguire

"There's a Victoria sponge as well. I like to think of it as my trademark recipe.You can buy it now, if you like, Miss Kendall. It's only a shilling."

You can’t possibly get better than a Victoria sponge and a cup of tea. To me it means comfort, childhood birthday cakes and Britishness. You could put the most magnificent specimen made by Wonka himself in front of me and I’d still go back to a Victoria sponge cake made by my mum. There are now hundreds of recipes out there for this cake, all more or less the same, but it’s still worth narrowing it down to the basics. As always this isn’t meant to be THE BEST recipe because what’s best for me might not be best for you, but what I have tried to do is bring together as many recipes as possible to provide you with my ‘go to’ Victoria sponge cake recipe. Butter or Margarine? The majority of recipes that I’ve seen out there use butter, but there are a few that advocate margarine. Jo Wheatley, winner of the GBBO, uses Stork margarine after Mary Berry introduced her to it. I have used margarine and it does give a lighter texture, and it can’t compete with good quality butter for flavour, but I still think Stork is best for the job. The texture is lighter, the sponge is bigger, and while it may not have such a full flavour it still tastes as good as a sponge should. Stork is ideal for those times when you just need a sponge cake and decide to make one at midnight, as its already smooth and pliable. With butter you would have to leave it out at room temperature for half a day (or carefully warm it in the microwave) before it’s smooth enough to use. If you’re struggling to get the right consistency with the mixture because the butter was too stiff you could try adding a drop or two of milk to loosen it to the perfect consistency. Or, another top tip I've picked up is to melt the butter completely, let it solidify again in the fridge and then use it because it always retains some softness after it's been changed and I find it whips up better. 

The Dry Ingredients  Where would we be without baking powder? Not making Victoria sponge cakes that’s for sure. The majority of recipes out there opt for self-raising flour because it comes ready with baking powder inside it. A lot of recipes just leave it there but a few add an extra teaspoon of baking powder to really fluff it all up. Personally I like to add the extra teaspoon because you can’t taste it, it doesn’t ruin anything and it makes the cake fluffier with what bakers like to call ‘a good rise’ (no sniggering at the back there please, come on now). Method, weights and measures  Our Victorian baking hero Mrs Beeton gives us the basic recipe for Victoria sponge in her 1861 Book Of Household Management. In her recipe the cake is made by weighing the eggs, then using that weight for the remaining ingredients. So if, for example, the weight of the eggs came to 200g you would then use 200g butter, 200g sugar and 200g flour. I like this because it requires very little effort and hardly any remembering if you don’t have a recipe in front of you. It’s also good if you aren’t sure of the weights of your eggs, as many these days come in all different sizes. Large eggs are the best to use here though. This is the generally approved method, although the other main method includes having a fixed amount for the top three ingredients, and varying the amount of eggs accordingly. For example, Delia Smith’s sponge cake uses 115g of the butter, sugar and flour and then has two eggs, whereas Donal Skehan’s Victoria sponge cake uses 225g of the butter, sugar and flour and 4 eggs. If it was me I’d add another egg yolk to that last recipe, as Jo Wheatley does with her Victoria sponge cake. I think it adds a nice colour and richness. Generally then the butter and sugar are creamed together for as long as possible until the mixture turns almost white. It does eventually get there but if you’re using a wooden spoon you’ll have to be patient with it. Then the eggs are beaten together and added gradually with a small amount of the flour. Mrs Beeton says ‘one egg beaten well is worth two not beaten’ and I think she’s right! Then the flour is gently folded in and that’s it. Delia Smith goes for the all in one method which simply piles all of the ingredients into the bowl and mixes them. This is good in a fix but a Victoria sponge is worth taking time over. 

 Flavourings and Fillings  Obviously vanilla is the predominant flavour here. Vanilla extract is preferable over vanilla essence (which is usually just water), and if you can get it vanilla bean paste is well worth the addition. If you’re using the liquid vanilla extract I’d go for a teaspoon, and if using vanilla bean paste go for ½ teaspoon as it’s quite strong. Now, a lot of people like buttercream with their sponge cakes, and for a long time I did too. But recently I’ve gone over to the WI’s side of things with fresh cream. I’m not sure why I prefer it but it’s definitely a crowd pleaser! I like to add some icing sugar to my cream. Barney Desmazery adds caster sugar to his which seems a bit bizarre. I don’t want crunchy cream! I have to say adding creamy flavours does work with sponge cakes though, so buttercream is always a good option too. Also I’m considering fresh peaches with cream as a filling. Mmm.

The standard is strawberry or raspberry jam. I prefer raspberry if you're using shop bought as strawberry can be a little cloying, but if you're making your own I'd definitely go strawberry. 

In 'Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night' by James Runcie, Mrs Maguire makes a Victoria sponge for the summer fete that she's very proud of. There was an incident the previous year where her Victoria sponge was the last to sell, and so to save his landlady from any embarrassment, Sidney decides to buy up the cakes she has made. Then there's an incident with some poisoning which we shan't go into, and suspicion falls upon the Victoria sponge! Thankfully this recipe is poison free and will see you through many a summers day! For the sponge  225g Stork margarine 200g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk 225g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder For the filling  150g strawberries 75g caster sugar  some water, about a tablespoon  250ml whipped cream  Caster sugar, for sprinkling  Instructions 

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Weigh out the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a standing mixer (I love my Kitchenaid) cream together the margarine, sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy. The mixture will be really pale and you’ll be able to see little air pockets in it. Beat the eggs and yolk together and add slowly to the mixture with a tablespoon of the flour mixture. Gently fold in the flour until fully combined. Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula then bake for about 20 -25 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Leave in the tins to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out to cool on a wire rack. To make the jam, chop the strawberries and add to the saucepan with the sugar and water. Cook over a low heat, until the strawberries have broken down and the mixture is thicker and clings to the back of a spoon.  Whip the cream and spread over one of the sponges, then dot with the jam and spread it around. Top with the other sponge layer and sprinkle the top with some caster sugar.  

[hollyoxleylevel4]

Altered Recipe

Before I started to experiment with layouts, I decided to slightly change the recipe to make it more suitable for my target audience. The original recipe is targeted for a younger audience.

Title - Marble Cake

Stand first - A simple recipe that is perfect for a last minute Birthday celebration or a Friday night hangout.

Equipment needed:

Weighing scales Mixing bowl Wooden Spoon Teaspoon Tablespoon 2 round cake tins (20cm) sift grease proof paper cocktail stick

Ingredients:

150 g self - raising flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 150 g soft margarine 150 g caster sugar 3 Large eggs 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

To Decorate:

100 g icing sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1-2 tablespoons of hot water 25 g white chocolate

Place the cake tin on a sheet of greaseproof paper and draw around it using a pencil. Cut out the circle of paper. Use a paper towel to grease the tin with soft margarine, and then put the circle of greaseproof paper inside the tin. Tip:fold the paper into a triangle to make cutting the circle easier.

2. Gradually sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, using a spoon to crush any large balls.

3. Add the margarine, sugar and eggs to the mixing bowl. Beat everything together, with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is smooth.

4. Pour half the mixture into a seperate bowl, and then sift the cocoa on top of it. Mix it well until a smooth, brown consistancy.

5, Using a Table spoon, place alternate spoonfuls of different coloured mixture into the 2 Tins, with the same amount of mixture in both. Swirl the mixtures together to create the marble pattern, making sure not to mix them too much. Place the tins in the centre of the oven and bake for 50 mins. Before removing from over, place a knife in the centre of the cake to make sure it is cooked.

6. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave it in the tins for five minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the grease proof paper, and turn the cakes over, using a plate or chopping board for support. This will allow the cake to cool.

Decorating the cake:

Before you start to decorate the cake, use a sharp knife to remove the uneven top of the cake.

Then sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. and gradually add the hot water. Make sure to only add 1 spoon of water at a time, mixing the ingredients to a smooth consistency. The icing should be thick and runny.

Spread some icing on the one half of the cake, and then place the other half on top to sandwich the icing. Pour the rest of the icing over the top of the cake and neatly spread it to the edges, using a spoon or spatcular.

Finally, Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water to stop the chocolate from burning. spoon blobs of white chocolate onto the cake, and use a cocktail stick to make the swirl pattern. you can also add chocolate shavings or pieces for decoration.

[lizzieee10-blog1]

Birthday cakes are my favourite. A little bit more lavish, a little bit prettier than I normally bother to make my rustic baking and always more special. I especially like that you have to sit and think about what they really like, what they they would choose. My mum always goes for coffee cake. Hands down, I know Mum’s favourite foods will always be coffee cake, rum and raisin ice cream, oak-smoked salmon and a glass of really decent red wine, probably accompanied by something weird to balance it out like a banana.

I saw this recipe by Eat-Love-Eat and have wanted to try it forever (albeit terrified of having to do something pretty with icing!) and thought it was 100% my Mum. Sweetened mascarpone icing blended in an ombre of vanilla, coffee and mocha sections, mirrored by soft sponge layers of the same flavours, all sandwiched together by even more vanilla speckled mascarpone.

I would recommend more mixture than in the original recipe, either that or smaller cake tins (I think this is key) to create more rise to the layers, making the ombre more obvious, similar to EatLoveEat’s images. I needed far less icing for this reason and kept the centre layer double the size to ensure that rise. It’s a bit of an operation making this cake but it’s fabulous in the end.

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter or baking margarine

250g soft brown sugar

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

5 medium eggs

2 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp coffee extract (e.g. Camp)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

For the sweet coffee drizzle

1.5 tbsp instant coffee granules

70g soft brown sugar

100ml water

For the ombre mascarpone frosting

500g mascarpone

100g icing sugar

1 tbsp whole milk

1/2 vanilla pod seeds scraped

1 tsp camp coffee extract

1 heaped tsp cocoa powder

To finish

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F. I used 8 inch tins (slight mistake, better to use 4x 6 inch tins, or 2x 8inch with fewer layers, or double the ingredients!). Grease the tins very well and make sure to line them if they are not loose-bottomed.

Make the base vanilla cake mixture first, to be adapted for the different flavours later. As you would a normal vanilla sponge, begin by creaming the butter and sugar very well, until very pale and creamy. Next beat in the eggs one at a time, with the milk and vanilla and then folding in the flour and raising agents, alternating an egg with a tablespoon of flour to prevent splitting/curdling, then add in the remaining flour. Try not to over-mix to keep the rise!

Next you need to separate the batter into 3 portions – one half and two quarters. You can do this exactly by weighing or by eye. Into the largest portion (half the total batter) carefully fold in the coffee extract. Into one of the smaller, quarter portions, fold in the sifted cocoa powder. Leave the remaining smaller portion as it is for a nice vanilla flavour.

If having 4 layers, split the coffee mixture between two tins, level the tops and place in the oven for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer or sharp knife comes out clean. Leave to cool for for a bit then take out of the tins and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat for the vanilla and chocolate cakes! (If making 2 layers, or even three, just halve or third the original mixture and flavour as you wish!)

For the coffee syrup

Mix the coffee granules, sugar and water into a microwave proof bowl. Microwave on full for about 90 seconds then cool, before spooning over the cooled sponges!

For the mascarpone frosting

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar, 1 tbsp milk and the vanilla seeds til you have a smooth, even mixture. Separate the mascarpone as you did the cake mixture – into roughly half and two quarters.

Stir the cocoa powder into one of the smaller portions of mascarpone and the coffee extract into the other smaller portion. Leave the biggest portion.

To assemble (the hard bit!)

Spread a small amount of the vanilla frosting on top of each sponge but be careful as the coffee syrup will have made the very top part of the sponge quite delicate!

Layer the cake layers, darkest to lightest, letting the vanilla frosting stick each layer together. Next, roughly spread the remaining (or as much as you like) vanilla mascarpone over the top half of the cake sides. Place in the fridge to settle in and harden for about 10-15 minutes.

Once chilled, begin the ombre frosting!!! YAY. Starting with the chocolate frosting, very roughly apply to the bottom quarter of the cake. Next, roughly apply the coffee frosting to the next quarter of the cake. Let the layers mingle and overlap for that proper ombre effect. I had extra coffee frosting so kept that going up and over into the top of the cake.

I went for a rustic look but you can make it beautiful and smooth like in the original recipe.

Assemble on your chosen cake stand then dust the top of the cake liberally with cocoa powder for proper tiramisu looks!

    Ombre Tiramisu Cake Birthday cakes are my favourite. A little bit more lavish, a little bit prettier than I normally bother to make my rustic baking and always more special.