Iced Victoria Sponge

Looking for a way to spruce up a classic victoria sponge cake? Adding buttercream and some sprinkles is a great way to make a cake more exciting and appealing.

What you’ll need:

• 175g soft margarine
• 175g caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 175g unsalted butter, softened
• 350g icing sugar
• Food colouring
• Any sprinkles
• Jam of your choice (I used raspberry)

Let’s get started!

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a tall 8″ springform cake tin.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the margarine and caster sugar until it has fully combined and lightened in colour.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring the mixture after each one, then add in the vanilla extract.
4. Add in the self-raising flour and the baking powder and mix everything all together.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and the middle of the cake springs back after gently touching the top.
6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin and then removed the cake and place on a cooling rack.
7. Once the cake has completely cooled cut the cake in half horizontally creating two equal halves.

For the icing:

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter and the icing sugar. Start by mixing slowly to avoid a cloud of icing sugar and then use an electric whisk to create a smooth icing.
2. Add in some food colouring to the mix to create the colour you want. I added a tiny bit of pink food colouring to create a light pink icing.
3. Once your icing is ready you can begin to assemble the cake. Place one of the cake halves onto a board or plate and spread jam across the middle of the sponge.
4. Take about a 1/3 of the icing and using a palette knife spread this on top of the jam. Be careful to not mix the jam and icing too much, and take the icing right to the edges of the sponge.
5. Place the second sponge on top of the icing and press into place gently, so it matches up with the bottom sponge.
6. Using the palette knife, work some buttercream around the edges, covering them completely so the sponge is no longer visible. Use the edge of the palette knife to evenly distribute the icing around the edges and to create a smooth finish.
7. With the remaining icing, add a little at a time to the top of the cake. Smooth the icing over the whole top of the cake and to the edges where the top meets the sides.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe! If you have a go don’t forget to share your makes with us on Instagram @aboxofbuttons or on Twitter @aBoxofButtons! See you next time!