Strawberry Sponge Cake

Name: Strawberry Sponge Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 225 g butter (, at room temperature); 225 g granulated sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; 4 large eggs; 225 g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; pinch of salt; 200 ml heavy cream; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; 1/4 cup icing sugar; 250 g fresh strawberries

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Strawberry Sponge Cake is a combination of 2 perfectly baked regular sponge cakes that are put together with the help of a heavy layer of vanilla whipped cream and strawberries.

This fresh Strawberry Sponge Cake, also called Strawberry Shortcake, is elegant, sweet, and tasty. Once you perfect the art of making these sponge cakes, there is no going back. It will definetely become your go-to cake for all your parties.

Check also, French Strawberry Cake.

What is Strawberry Sponge Cake?

The most appropriate way to describe this old fashioned strawberry sponge cake is a moist, airy, and light cake with all the goodness of strawberries.

Commonly strawberry sponge cakes are also known as Victorian sponge cakes. Well, this spongy excellence will surely leave you with royal bliss. It is a multi-layered dessert, and each layer is filled with fantastic taste and texture. It has two airy sponge cakes layered with whipped cream cheese icing and sliced strawberries.

There’s a reason it’s named the Victorian Sponge Cake, in honour of the royal patron. The reason finds itself buried under the soft vanilla icing, topped with fresh strawberries which easily made it Queen Victoria’s absolute favourite. It’s quite literally the icing on the cake, that makes this simple cake so worthwhile.

Why this recipe?

Imagine guests are coming over, and you want a dessert that is easy to make yet would look sophisticated in front of the guest. Your answer is simple, strawberry sponge cake. It is easy to make and won't take a lot of time to make this delicious spongy cake.

The trick is simple. Follow our few easy sponge cake-making tips detailed below to make cake that is as light as a feather. Looking for a sweet, simple dessert that is not only easy to make but also stunning to look at and flavorsome. We can asure you that this recipe is the right pick for you.

What’s in the Strawberry Sponge Cake?

This recipe is the culmination of 2 different components coming together. The first is the vanilla cake itself, and the second is the filling and icing used between the cakes and on top. The ingredients for both are mentioned below:

The sponge cake

Butter: Unsalted will work best
Granulated sugar: A sweet delight cannot be made without sugar. The next ingredient is granulated sugar.
Vanilla bean paste: The only flavouring that would be used in the cake
Eggs: They are the most important ingredient of the recipe, as it is the agent that binds everything together. For a fluffy cake, make sure to keep the eggs at room temperature.
Self-rising flour: Used in combination with the eggs for an extra spongy cake
Baking powder: Just what you have at home is fine

The strawberry filling

Heavy cream: just an off-the-counter brand you trust
Vanilla: bean, Extract or essence will work just fine
Icing sugar: Also known as powdered sugar due to its nature to dissolve easily
Fresh strawberries: The star of the show in this cake recipe, you guessed it right, are the strawberries.

a slice of old fashioned strawberry sponge cake recipe

How to make the Strawberry Sponge Cake - Step by Step

Just as the ingredients were listed, the preparation of this recipe is also divided into two different sections. First, we make the cake and then the icing.

To make the sponge cake

One: Before we start prepping the cake, preheat the oven to 180ºC and line 2 round 20cm cake tins with parchment paper.

Two: Once the oven and cake tins are all set for baking, it’s time to move on to mixing up the batter.

Three: Cream the butter with the sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy, and then mix in the eggs and vanilla.

Four: Once all the liquid ingredients are dissolved well together, we can move on to the dry ingredients.

Five: Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.

Six: Beat the batter gently, until it’s fluffy. Divide and pour the batter into the 2 cake tins.

Seven: Bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes. Lastly, allow it to cool completely.

Make the filling

Eight: Whilst you’re waiting for your cakes to rise, you can utilize this time to whip up the filling that will go right between the cakes and on top.

Nine: To make the filling, pour the heavy cream into a large bowl. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Ten: That’s it! You’re vanilla icing is ready. As for the strawberries, just out the stem and leaves, and chop them and halves or quarters.

Assemble the Strawberry Sponge Cake

One: Once the cakes are out of the oven, we can start bringing the cake together.

Two: Place one of the cakes on a serving plate, and spread half of the vanilla icing you just prepared on top. Now, plop the strawberries, and then top them with the second cake.

Three: Spread the remaining icing and arrange some strawberries on top.

Voila! Your tall and elegant Strawberry Cake is ready to be served.

Top Tips

Sift the flour with the baking soda, before adding them to the batter. This will ensure your sponge cake rises to its full possible potential!
Sometimes the juice from the strawberries soaks through and makes the cake a little soggy. Though it’s not such a big problem, it’s best to add the strawberries and assemble the cake right before it is to be served.
Refrain from using frozen fruits as they tend to make the cake soggy. Go for fresh fruits.
Self-rising flour can also be made by mixing all-purpose flour with cornstarch.
When selecting strawberries for your cake, make sure to go for bright red, ripe strawberries with shiny skin for the best flavor.

Recipe Variations

Play around with the shape of your cake. Use a stencil of any shape you like.
Strawberry Jam – A thin layer of strawberry jam can add a twist to your strawberry sponge cake. Roll out a thin layer of jam on top of the icing and make your cake a grade above excellent.
Add a different flavor profile to your cake by adding lemon zest, lemon juice, or even orange zest on top of your cake.
Happy serving!
To make strawberry-flavoured sponge cake, you may add 1-2 drops of red food coloring to the cream.

slice of Strawberry Sponge Cake and the whole cake in the background

Serving Suggestions

This Strawberry Sponge Cake is best enjoyed by itself, at right about any time of the day. Serve it with some tea and biscuits during breakfast, evening high tea or right after dinner. This dessert can impress your guests well on its very own. And it’s not at all that difficult to make!

Storage

Make ahead of time: You can make the cake a day before and assemble it right before it is to be served. In a day’s time, it will retain its original flavour and moisture.

Store: The cake can survive at room temperature for about 3 days maximum or in the fridge for 3 days.

Freeze: Either wrap the sponge cake well with plastic or cut into slices and place it in the container. This sponge cake can last up to 3 months if it’s frozen.

Recipe FAQ

Can I use a zesty flavor to top the sponge cake?

Sweet and zesty flavors go very well together. You can most definitely use a savory ingredient like lemon to top your sponge cake. It will provide your sponge cake with an added layer of the flavor profile.

What's the difference between a victoria Sponge cake and a strawberry sponge cake?

Both types of cake are baked to be light, fluffy, and moist; though the recipes are essentially the same, they take different approaches in the preparation, making them a bit different from each other. For a sponge cake, the air is whipped into the eggs; the foamier they are, the more rise you'll get in the final cake. The Victoria sponge recipes don't require that step and rely instead on baking powder (sometimes baking soda). This reduces the amount of prep time involved.

Can you still make this without an electric mixer?

If you do not have an electric mixer, you can still make this cake. You just need to do all the whisking portion of the recipe with your hands. Make sure to whisk in a constant direction to get the best result.

Can I still make this cake with different ingredients if I am lactose intolerant?

Lactose-free dairy products are readily available in the market. Choose any one of them, and you can make your own lactose-free strawberry sponge cake.

I can’t find strawberries. Can I use frozen strawberries instead?

Yes, you absolutely can. They definitely won’t taste the same, but they’ll be slightly tangier. And some people love how frozen berries taste, so yes go all in with the frozen berries if you can’t find fresher options.

How do you keep strawberries from wilting or drying out on cake?

You can brush a layer of warm preserves such as raspberry preserves, and jams or use glazed strawberries to ensure the strawberries hold their texture for long on the cake. If you don’t have access to any of these options at home, you can always wait till the last moment to add your strawberries. Adding them right before they are to be served, is the best way to ensure that they’re gulped down in their original form.

Why Won't My Sponge Cake Rise?

Avoid over-mixing the batter. Only beat the batter until it’s fluffy. Over-mixing the batter can firstly, give rise to too much-released gluten. Too much gluten can make the cake hard. Secondly, too many air bubbles produced whilst mixing will inevitably burst in the oven and produce a dense cake. Just mix the batter until all the dry ingredients have dissolved well and then stop.

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