Sunday 29 June 2014

#22 Lavender Victoria Sponge Cake

First, an apology for having disappeared for so long. We have finally managed to set up shop and have started of with a pizza home delivery service in Ahmedabad. Getting things organized and experimenting had taken up all our time and we didn't get a moment to breathe, let alone keep the blog updated! We are now back in action with lots of interesting things to share!


Contrary to popular belief, a sponge cake is quite a difficult cake to master! It must be soft, airy, moist and have a super tender crumb. I've tried innumerable times to reach that perfection but failed miserably. Finally, after much experimenting, I've found the perfect recipe. This is a classic Victoria Sponge with equal amounts of egg, butter, sugar and flour. It is moist, and has the most tender crumb ever! 

The twist that we added to this was fresh lavender! It adds a completely new dimension and I wouldn't suggest leaving it out!

Ingredients 
  • 3 Eggs
  • 175g Butter
  • 175g Sugar
  • 175g Flour
  • 2tsp Baking Powder
  • 1tsp pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1tsp Lavender leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 cup Whipping Cream
Cream the butter and sugar together till it is pale and light, crack in one egg at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the Vanilla Extract.

Sift the baking powder and flour together, add the lavender.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet till just mixed. Over mixing is the only thing that can go wrong with this recipe!

(Traditionally one would make two 8" cakes and sandwich them together. Considering I have only one 9" tin, I made my cake in that and sliced it in half.)

Pour your batter into a greased baking tin and place in an oven pre-heated to 180C for about 20 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, whip up the cream till soft peaks form, you can add sugar as per your taste. You won't need a lot as the cake is fairly sweet.


Slice the cake in half and sandwich with the whipped cream. A light dusting of cocoa on top and you are ready!