A victoria sandwich is the perfect cake to enjoy on a summers day with a cup of tea and some friends.

Ingredients

• 170g Butter or Margarine (softened)
• 175g Caster sugar
• 3 Eggs (beaten)
• 175g Self raising flour
• Rasbury jam
• Small amount of either caster sugar or icing sugar for sprinkling

The Cake Company’s Guide To Making The Cake

1. Grease and line two 18cm (7 inch) sandwich/cake tins.

2. Mix the butter and sugar together until it’s pale and has a fluffy feal to it.

3. Add the eggs, a little at a time to avoid curdling. You can also sieve in some of the flower at the same time, just remember keep sturing/folding the mixture.

4. After you’ve added all the eggs and flower and the mixture is evening mixed you can divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins.

5. Top Tip – To avoid having air bubbles in your cake you can hold the tins in the air then slam them down onto the table (make sure you’re careful not to spill any!). This will force the air bubbles to pop out of the top.

6. Bake in the oven at about 190 degrees (375 oF/gase mark 5) for about 20 minutes until it’s well risen and the cake spring back when pressed lightly.

7. Go round the edges with a knife then leave to cool.

8. Remove the cakes from the tins by turning upside down on a wire rack.

9. Put a thin layer of rasbury jame on the bottom cake before putting the top half on top.

10. Put some caster sugar (or icing sugar) in to a sieve and sprinkle lightly over the top.

11. Enjoy eating your cake!

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Everyone loves a good Christmas Cake, here’s a recipe to help you out.

Key Facts

Preparation time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time: over 2 hours
Serves 8

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 225g/8oz Plain flour
• ¼ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Mixed spice
• ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
• 200g/7oz Butter
• 200g/7oz Dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Black treacle
• 1 tbsp Marmalade
• 1/4tsp Vanilla essence
• 4 Free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 800g/1 3/4 lb Mixed dried fruits
• 100g/3 1/2 oz Chopped mixed peel
• 150g/5oz Glacé cherries, halved
• 100g/3 1/2 oz Blanched almonds, chopped
• Brandy

To decorate the cake

• 200g/7oz Marzipan
• 1-2 tbsp Apricot jam, warmed
• Royal Icing
• 3 Free-range egg whites
• 600g/1lb 5oz Icing sugar, sieved
• 11/2tsp Liquid glycerine – optional
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice

Cooking Instructions

1.Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas mark 2 then grease a 20cm/8inch round or an 18cm/7inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.

2.Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.

3.Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

4.Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount.

5.Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries and the almonds.

6.Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.

7.Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer. If not ready bake for up to another hour testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean.

8.Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

9.Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

10.Once cool, make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbspof brandy. Let the brandy soak into the cake.

11.Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container, holes side up.

12.OPTIONAL: For a rich and moist cake, spoon over a few tablespoons of brandy every week until you are ready to ice and decorate your cake.

13.To decorate the cake, place the cake on a foil board or cake plate.

14.Dust your hands and the work surface with a little icing sugar and knead the marzipan until soft.

15.Roll out half the marzipan to fit the top of the cake and roll out the rest in strips to fit around the sides of the cake.

16.Brush the cake all over with the warmed apricot jam and then place the marzipan on top and around the cake.

17.Cover the cake with a clean tea towel and then leave in a cool place for at least one day.

18.To make the icing, lightly whisk the egg whites adding the sugar at intervals. Beat well until the icing reaches soft peaks. Add the glycerine if using and the lemon juice.

19.Spread icing all over cake either flat iced using a clean ruler or by forming soft peaks. Decorate with Christmas ornaments.