Sponge cake that’s light and airy is considered a win but dodging a dry and crumbly texture is more difficult than it sounds. This is especially true for plain or vanilla-flavoured cakes which use little in the way of liquid to take form.
Baking extraordinaire has cracked the code with the British classic, Victoria Sponge, to ensure the cake is perfectly moist and delicious every time.
Sharing her quirky take on the traditional recipe in her cookbook Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking, Mary unveiled the addition of apple as her secret weapon.
Based on the Victoria sandwich, which sees two light vanilla sponge cakes straddle a layer of jam plus a creamy filling, Mary’s version is known as her “ultimate apple cake – a Victoria sponge that stays really moist from grated apple”.
Complete with lemon curd instead of berry jam to cut through the double cream, it’s a refreshing take on simple flavours.
Mary Berry’s apple sponge cake recipe
Ingredients
For the sponge
225g/8oz baking spread, straight from the fridge, plus extra for greasing
225g/8oz caster sugar
225g/8oz self-raising flour
One tsp baking powder
Four large free-range eggs, beaten
Two eating apples, peeled, cored and grated
Icing sugar, for dusting
For the lemon filling
150ml/5fl oz double cream
Three tbsp lemon curd
Method
First, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 then find two 20cm/8inch round loose-bottomed sandwich tins.
Line the bases of each tin with baking paper to ensure a clean break when removing the cake from the tins. Do this carefully by tracing the tins and cutting the paper accordingly.
Now measure all the sponge ingredients except the apple and icing sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until combined.
Gently fold the grated apple into the mixture, then divide between the tins and level the tops.
Bake the fruity sponge cakes in the hot oven for about 25–30 minutes until golden, well risen and coming away from the sides of the tins. Leave on the kitchen side to allow the cakes to cool before removing them from the tins.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Whip the cream into soft peaks in a bowl, then lightly swirl in the lemon curd.
Invert the tins to remove the cakes and then peel away the paper. Gently sit one cake upside down on a serving plate then spread the lemon cream to the edge of the sponge, and place the other cake gently on top to sandwich the cakes together.
Dust the top with icing sugar to serve. The cake will stay fresh in the fridge for one day after being assembled.
