Mary Berry’s Victoria sandwich cake recipe is a delicate sponge cake filled with jam and cream – perfect for any occasion.
While this sponge cake uses an all-in-one recipe, a stand mixer can make the method more simple.
Having previously tested out the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL stand mixer, I wanted to see how the Kenwood kMix stand mixer, a more budget-friendly version, compared. The Kenwood kMix stand mixer is one of the classics that come in a range of colours including red, blue and metallic pastels.
As with all stand mixers, the kMix comes with a flat beater, a dough hook, and a whisk attachment. Also added in the box are a 5L bowl, a spatula and a splashguard (a plastic lid that fixes to the top of the mixer and allows you to mix in ingredients without any mess).
The appliance gives a nice pop of colour to the kitchen, however, for those after something a little muted, the stand mixer also comes in a black and white shade. Retailing currently at £259 down from £419.99 on the Kenwood website and for £284.46 down from £479.99 on Amazon, this stand mixer is one of the cheapest stand mixers on the market but it doesn’t scrimp on power.
Setting up the stand mixer, I gave the two attachments I needed for the recipe a wash and started by placing the first attachment I was using into the stand mixer. This was a little fiddly as there are two holes on the tilted head and you have to duck down to see which one will fit the attachment.
Ingredients
For the cake
Four eggs
225g caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting or you can use icing sugar
225g self-raising flour
Two teaspoons baking powder
225g butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins
To serve
Strawberry or raspberry jam
150ml double cream (optional)
Method
One major difference between the kMix and Chef Baker XL stand mixer is that this one does not come with built-in weighing scales so I began by measuring out my ingredients.
I then preheated my oven to 160C Fan and lined two 20cm round sandwich tins with greaseproof paper and butter.
Next, it was time to combine all of the cake ingredients in the mixer – the most important test of any good stand mixer is if it can do a good job combining a cake mixture as this is where many fail.
I used the aluminium K-Beater attachment and as I turned the dial the machine reacted fast. And quickly got to work at mixing the ingredients for a smooth batter.
While the mixer demonstrated great power, halfway through the mixing process I did have to go in the spatula to get to the flour around the top and bottom of the bowl that was not reached.
While the stainless steel bowl adds nicely to the aesthetic of the overall appliance, a glass bowl would make it easier to see if all of the ingredients are being combined well. However, Kenwood also has another kMix stand mixer that retails for £224 down from £299.99 currently that comes with a glass bowl instead of a stainless steel one.
With the mixture ready, it was easy to remove the bowl from the stand with one simple twist. I then divided the mixture evenly between the tins and used the spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.
I baked the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes. Check them after 20 minutes though as they may need less time. The cakes are done when they’re golden brown and coming away from the edge of the tins.
I then set them aside to cool in their tins for five minutes before running a palette knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turning the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
As the cakes were cooling completely, it was the to prepare the double cream. To do so I used the stainless steel whisk attachment. The whisk needed no assistance in beating the double cream into stiff peaks, and the whole process was so quick.
With the cream whisked, it was time to assemble the cake with the jam and cream before topping it with a light dusting of icing sugar.
The cake tasted delicious and I was able to make it quicker than usual with the help of this stand mixer.
Although the kMix stand mixer is smaller and doesn’t come with as many attachments or features as the Chef Baker XL version, it certainly doesn’t compromise on power. Customers have even noticed the same thing as one review claimed: “The machine works really well even when it is on low setting.”
So, is this Kenwood kMix stand mixer worth it? If you like to bake and are looking for a mixer that is small but adds to your kitchen aesthetic, this is a great option.
Alternatively, if households are after something a bit more smaller, still simple to use and a little more wallet-friendly, Express.co.uk previously tested out the Morphy Richards MixStar which retails for £189.99 currently on Amazon.
