My Victoria Sponge

This is the Victoria Sponge I made for my Mum and Dads Anniversary. Enjoy!

The Recipe:
I am gonna give you the normal one
not the fondant and buttercream one sorry!

You will Need:
3 Large Eggs
Vannila Extract
175grams/6oz soft butter- I reccomend Stork but any UNSALTED butter will do.
175grams/6oz caster (superfine) sugar
175grams/6oz self-raising flour
about 4 big tablespoons of strawberry jam
icing (confectioners) sugar, to dust

Method

In a medium-sized mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until you get a pale, fluffy mixture that drops off the spoon easily (an electric hand whisk speeds this up considerably, but a wooden spoon will do). Then in a separate jug or bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly together with a few drops of vanilla extract, then add them a little at a time, beating well after each addition. For a beginner, I would recommend just a teaspoonful of egg at a time: if you add it like this, it won't curdle. (Why shouldn't it curdle, you're thinking? Well, some of the hidden air that by now has been beaten into the mixture will escape if the mixture 'breaks' and as air is what makes a cake light, curdling will make it heavier.)

When the eggs have been incorporated, take a metal tablespoon, which will cut and fold the flour in much better than a thick wooden spoon. Have the flour in a sieve resting on a plate, then lift the sieve high above the bowl nd empty it in small doses. Then repeat this until all the flour is incorporated: lifting the sieve up high above the bowl will ensure the flour gets a good airing before it reaches the mixture.
Now the flour has been added you should have a mixture that will drop off the spoon easily when you tap it on the side of the bowl. If not, add some hot water, one or two teaspoonfuls or if you're using medium eggs you may need a tablespoonful more. Now divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins - if you want to be very precise you could place both tins on the balance scales (I've never bothered because, quite honestly, I don't mind if one sponge is fractionally larger than the other.) Place them on the centre shelf of the oven, and they'll take about 20 minutes to cook.
When they are cooked, the centres will feel springy when lightly touched with a little fingertip and no imprint remains. I think the secret of success here is to be patient and not to have crafty peeps halfway through: a sudden rush of cold coming into the oven can cause the cakes to sink. When they're cooked, remove them from then oven, then after about 5 minutes turn them out on to a wire cooling tray, loosening them around the edges with a palette knife first. Then carefully peel off the base papers and leave the cakes to cool completely before sandwiching them together with jam and sifting a little icing sugar on top.

This is the full recipe. I hope you have as much fun as I did baking it and, of course, eating it!

Come again and dont forget to comment,
Beanpole.