Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the curd
2 lemons
1 passion fruit (optional)
2 medium eggs
100g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, diced
For the sponge
200g caster sugar
200g soft unsalted butter
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
For the filling
1 x 250g tub mascarpone
50g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
200ml double cream
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The sponge layers can be frozen, and the lemon curd can be made ahead and stored in a sterilised jar in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Assemble shortly before serving; leftovers should be kept in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 18cm sponge tins.
Grate the zest from both lemons. Divide equally between a heatproof bowl for the curd, and a mixing bowl for the sponge. Squeeze the juice from 11⁄2 lemons and add to the curd bowl, then scoop in the pulp and seeds from the passion fruit, if using. Beat the eggs and add to the same bowl, with the sugar, butter and a small pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then place over a pan of very gently simmering water. Stirring regularly, let the curd cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon (this will take 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on it and make sure that it doesn’t get too hot or the eggs will scramble). Sieve into a bowl, cover and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the sponge. Add the sugar, butter and a pinch of salt to the zest in the mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream until very soft and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour with each one. Sift in the remaining flour and baking powder, add the milk and the juice of the remaining 1⁄2 lemon and fold together to make a batter that drops easily from the spoon.
Divide equally between the sponge tins, level the surfaces and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sponges are well-risen and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack
For the filling, tip the mascarpone into a mixing bowl and add the icing sugar and vanilla. With an electric mixer, beat together. Initially the mascarpone will start to liquefy; keep on beating and it will thicken again. Add the cream and beat until the filling is holding soft folds; take care not to overbeat (add a little milk or extra cream if it does get too thick).
To assemble, place one sponge on a serving plate and spread with half the mascarpone filling. Spoon on about two-thirds of the lemon curd, then add the second sponge on top. Spread this with the remaining mascarpone cream and drizzle with the rest of the curd. Serve in quite small slices, as this is rich.
The key to a good sponge is a thorough beating. The aim is to get as much air in as possible to create a light and airy sponge. The method that should be used is as follows: beat the butter with caster sugar, then gradually beat the eggs into the mix before finally folding the flour carefully into the mixture.
A Victoria sponge uses the creaming method. This is when softened butter and sugar are beaten together until pale and fluffy. Creaming creates pockets of air and fat which results in a lighter and more plentiful cake mixture.
For a savory use, add mascarpone to pasta sauce or use it in place of cream in nearly any dish. It can also be used to thicken soups, stuff chicken breasts, and as a bagel spread. Drop teaspoonfuls on top of roasted vegetables or mix it into your scrambled eggs.
Victoria sponge cakes are two-layer cakes, served with strawberry jam and whipped cream in between the layers and dusted with granulated sugar. On the other hand, a classic sponge cake is much more versatile.
While the cake ingredients should be at room temperature, the butter or baking spread you are using needs to be even warmer but not hot. The butter should be soft but still holding together. If the butter or spread is too soft, it becomes oily and the resulting cake heavy and dense.
Martina says, “Late in the mixing stage, eggs will incorporate better if you lightly beat them before adding to the batter. The finished cake may be slightly shorter than expected, but its flavor and tenderness shouldn't be affected.” For egg-leavened cakes, the eggs are crucial.
Under-creamed butter and sugar looks darker in color, with a visible heavy and gritty texture from the unincorporated sugar. It doesn't allow enough air to become incorporated into your batter or dough. This can lead to a heavy cake that doesn't properly rise or dense cookies.
Mascarpone isn't just for panettone or tiramisù. Slathered on crostini or whipped into spaghetti, it's more sumptuous than butter — add a little sugar, and it's even more enticing than cream.
Mascarpone has a looser, velvety texture, and rich mouthfeel similar to a double-crème brie. American cream cheese contains about 55% butterfat, while mascarpone contains a whopping 75%.
While oil has a more neutral taste, which means that other flavours in the cake can stand out more. Our preference is still butter for a lot of recipes where possible, especially when you are aiming for a classic tasting cake such as Victoria Sponge.
The Victoria sponge, also known as the Victoria sandwich cake, was named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy the small cakes with her afternoon tea. The version Queen Victoria ate would have been filled with jam alone, but modern versions often include cream.
- Lower the temperature and cook for longer: This is one of the easiest solutions. Lower the temperature by around 10-20°C and increase the baking time slightly. This will make sure the cake tin doesn't heat up too quickly.
You can also decrease the baking temperature by 10 or so degrees and increase the baking time. Just like when you bake a pumpkin pie and go low and slow for an uncracked surface, baking cakes at a lower temperature gives a more even rise.
The key to an airy sponge, is... well air! In each stage of the sponge making process you need to add as much airiness as you can. Once your flour is measured, hold the sieve a few inches above your mixing bowl, pour the flour into the sieve and gently sift away, this will ensure a light sponge once baked.
Why do cakes not rise? A: No or insufficient raising agent, mixture too stiff, mixture overbeaten or air knocked out, or insufficient whisking (whisked sponge).Too cool an oven.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 35 mins
