24. The Victoria Sponge

April showers mean May flowers and, for us at the DBE, that means garden parties. And what else would you expect to find at a garden party but a classic Victoria sponge cake. 

Tune in this week to hear your host, Georgia, talk about the history of the sponge cake, what makes the perfect sponge cake, and some fun sponge cake facts!

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The Daughters of the British Empire is a 501(c)3 nonprofit American society of women of British or Commonwealth birth or ancestry. We share and promote our heritage while supporting local charities and our senior facilities across the United States. 

We are a diverse group of women standing together in friendship and charity, joined by a common bond - the Commonwealth of Nations, learning and growing together. 

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Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to episode 24 of A Cuppa Tea with the DBE. 

I know a new episode has been long overdue and for that I apologize - I have had quite a lot going on outside of DBE with both my job and my personal life but I hope you enjoy the episode I’ve put together for you today, so let’s jump right into things while you pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfortable… 

They say that April showers bring May flowers and that means it’s garden party season, and when I think of garden parties I think hats, raffles, tea, and Victoria sponge - the quintessential recipe under every British baker’s belt. 

The earliest *British* sponge recipe appeared in “The English Housewife” in 1615, though this particular recipe would’ve resulted in something more like a pound cake

That all changed in 1843 when Alfred Bird was trying to solve a problem. You see, his wife had allergies to both eggs and yeast so Alfred used cornflour to create a custard that she could eat. Upon accidentally serving this custard to guests at a dinner party, he found it went over very well so he patented his creation and I’m sure all of you have had Bird’s custard at some point in your life. He also wanted to find a way for his wife to enjoy yeast-free bread and that led him to create none other than baking powder when he mixed bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar, again, with a little cornflour. He found that, upon being mixed with liquid, carbon dioxide was produced causing the batter or dough to expand and rise without the use of yeast. 

Now, if you recall back to episode 3, you may remember that it was also in the 1840s that the Duchess of Bedford was establishing afternoon tea as a society staple. By the 1850’s, Queen Victoria herself had turned into a formal affair with an array of treats as well as one of her favorites, a perfect sponge cake. The confection was later named in her honor, the Royal Victoria sponge cake, after the death of Albert in 1861. 

In another fortuitous timing of events, Isabella Beeton published “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management” in 1861. It included around 1000 pages of advice on topics ranging from animal husbandry to making polite conversation. See if any excerpts are available for reading. Additionally, it included around 2000 recipes, including that of the Victoria sponge or sandwich cake, which helped grow its popularity across Britain. 

Today, the Women’s Institute sets the standard for the perfect Victoria sponge. When judging, they give marks for texture, even for what type of jam is used. And, of course, The Great British Bake Off may have contributed to its resurgence. 

In 2017, the world’s largest Victoria sponge was made by Steven of Dorset when he made a 5-foot wide version of the cake for his son’s third birthday. Consisting of 700 eggs, 110lbs of butter, 77lbs of jam, 150lbs of flour, and 130lbs of sugar, it required a custom cake tin made by a local engineer firm and a forklift to sandwich the cake halves and transport it to the Sturminster Newton cheese festival where it was presented to the birthday boy. 

From 2018 to 2019, it was estimated that the British spend over 1.3 billion pounds on cake each year and consume an average of 3 slices per week.

And, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Victoria sponge was the 4th most searched-for cake recipe during lockdown. 

There are a variety of ways bakers swear by when it comes to the perfect sponge. While raspberry jam with buttercream is traditional, strawberries and whipped cream are preferred by many today. Similarly, historically the top was simply dusted with caster sugar or icing sugar but decorating the top with extra cream and fruit is now a popular option.

When it comes to the actual baking, there is much debate. Should one weigh their eggs? Is it better to use butter or margarine; self-rising flour or baking powder? 

Regardless of the method, a Victoria sponge should be light and moist, achieved from creaming the butter and sugar together adequately; it should be golden in color and the correct flavor, both of which derive from the quality of ingredients used; and, of course, the cake should be well-risen and served with a generous filling of jam and cream. 

As always, I’d love to hear your contributions. 

What do you think makes the perfect Victoria sponge, and at what events will you be serving up sponge cake this summer? 

You can find links to the Women’s Institute recipe and Mary Berry’s recipe in the show notes, and the books mentioned in this episode will be added to our Goodreads page.

You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest by searching Daughters of the British Empire and you can send any questions, comments, or topic suggestions to podcast@dbenational.org.

Until next time, not ourselves but the cause.