Victoria Sponge

The Victoria Sponge is possibly the most loved cake in the world. It’s simple and delicious and, Daydreamers, it’s easy to make. I rustled this up in an hour on Sunday morning before popping round to my mum’s to wish her a happy Mother’s Day; the effort and thought that went into the cake went down a treat (as did the sponge itself!) and, with a fresh bunch of flowers and a bottle of Bottega Veneta, Mummy Daydreamer was suitably spoiled.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.

For the cake: 200g caster sugar; 200g butter, softened; 4 eggs, beaten; 200g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp milk.

For the filling: 100g butter, softened; 140g icing sugar, sifted; icing sugar, to decorate.

Step 2: Heat the oven to 190/170fan/Gas5. Line two sandwich tins. Put all of your ingredients in a large bowl and beat together until smooth. The butter might go a little lumpy – just smooth the lumps out with the back of a spoon. It’s great for the arms! Divide the mixture between the two tins, smooth the mix until it’s flat, and bake for 20 minutes until the sponges are golden brown. Stick a knife in the middle – if it comes out clean, it’s cooked.

Step 3: Cool on a wire rack. Completely! If you don’t, your filling will melt and your cake will flop!

Step 4: Make your filling. Combine the butter and icing sugar and mix until smooth; take care, or you’ll disappear into a cloud of icing sugar….

Step 5: If your cakes are slightly lopsided, simply carve the top off one. Next, flip it, so that the bottom is now the top.

Step 6: Using a spatula or knife, smooth the filling onto the cake. Spread jam on the bottom of the other sponge, and place on top of the iced sponge.