Royal pastry chefs share recipe for Victoria sponge served at the Queen's Garden Parties

From Good Housekeeping

First, they shared the recipe for the Queen's scones and now royal pastry chefs have posted step-by-step instructions for creating the Victoria sponge cake served at Her Majesty's Garden Parties.

The traditional recipe appeared on the royal family's official Instagram account on Thursday (28 May), alongside a lovely step-by-step video showing the Queen's chefs hard at work, which is entitled, 'A Royal Recipe for Victoria Sponge Cake'.

Reminding followers of the sponge cake's royal history, the accompanying caption reads: "The Victoria Sponge was named after Queen Victoria, who regularly ate a slice of sponge cake with her tea, each afternoon!"

It continues: "To mark Royal Garden Parties, Buckingham Palace Pastry Chefs are delighted to share this traditional recipe with you."

The post concluded with the full recipe, including ingredients for the sponge and buttercream, as well as how-to instructions for making both and then assembling the cake.

The royal family urged fans to give the recipe a try and showcase their cooking skills on social media, by saying: "Remember to share your #royalbakes".

Unsurprisingly, the post has proved very popular so far, receiving thousands of likes and countless comments from royal fans.

Here is the royal chefs' Victoria sponge cake recipe in full, if you would like to give it a go...

The royal family's Victoria sponge cake recipe

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 3 eggs

• 150g caster sugar

• 150g unsalted butter

• 150g sieved self-raising flour

• 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

• 100g jam (strawberry or raspberry)

For the buttercream

• 150g softened unsalted butter

• 220g sieved icing sugar

• 1/3 vanilla pod or vanilla essence

Instructions

For the sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (375F, gas mark 4)

2. Grease and line two 8 inch cake tins (if you only own one tin, you can bake the sponge and slice in half)

3. Cream the caster sugar, vanilla essence and softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy

4. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs

5. Gradually add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, to avoid the mixture curdling

6. Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture

7. Divide the cake mix between the two cake tins and smooth

8. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the cake appears golden brown

9. Insert a skewer and ensure it comes out clean

10. Remove the sponges from their tins and leave to cool

For the buttercream

1. Cream the softened butter with the sieved icing sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod (or vanilla essence)

Assembling the cake

1. Ensure that both sponges are completely cold before spreading a layer of jam onto the surface of one sponge

2. Spread a thick layer of buttercream on top of the jam (if you prefer this can be done first)

3. Gently place the second sponge on top and gently press down

4. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with a pot of fresh English tea!

So, there you have it – a royal-approved bake to give you a taste of life at Buckingham Palace.

A big thank you to the royal family for sharing!

And, if you're after more baking inspiration, check out our Good Housekeeping cookery team's expert recipe for the ultimate Victoria Sponge here.

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