ROYAL CHINA ROSE SPONGE CAKE
This classic Victoria sponge cake is a recipe fit for a Queen. It combines some of Britain's most love dishes; a soft vanilla Victoria sponge, filled with fresh British strawberries, buttercream infused with the nations favourite drink - tea - and topped with an Eton Mess style 'crown' of meringues and berries. A real royal showstopper!
| Serves | 10 People |
|---|---|
| Makes In | 2 hr 15 mins |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Dietary | [[v]] |
Ingredients
For The Sponge
| Qty | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 4 | Eggs |
| 225g | Billington's Golden Caster Sugar |
| 225g | Allinson's Self-Raising Flour |
| 2 tsp | Baking Powder |
| 1 tsp | Nielsen Massey Vanilla Extract |
| 225g | Butter |
For The Buttercream
| Qty | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2 | Twinings China Rose Tea Bags |
| 80g | Unsalted Butter |
| 50ml | Whole Milk |
| 250g | Silver Spoon Icing Sugar |
For The Filling
| Qty | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| Strawberry Jam | |
| 200g | Strawberries, Thinly Sliced |
For The Meringues
| Qty | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 4 | Egg Whites |
| 125g | Silver Spoon Caster Sugar |
| 125g | Silver Spoon Icing Sugar |
Method
- To make the meringues; preheat the oven to 110°C (100°C/gas mark 4) and line several baking trays with non-stick paper.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they become fluffy with stiff peaks.
- Gradually spoon in the caster sugar, mixing for a few seconds between each addition. This should thicken the mixture and add a sheen.
- With a metal spoon or spatula, fold in the icing sugar in four amounts. Then fill into a piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small circles of meringue onto your baking trays.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool inside. (Ideally overnight).
- To infuse the milk; in a small saucepan, heat 50ml of milk with two teabags of China Rose for 10 minutes (be careful not to boil but stick to minimum temperature of 85C during the steeping process).
- Squeeze the teabags, remove and leave the milk to one side to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / Gas Mark 4).
- Grease and line two 8 inch sandwich tins with baking paper.
- In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add each egg to the mix, one by one, mixing between each addition and adding a tablespoon of the flour to keep the mix smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, baking powder and flour and continue to mix until these ingredients have been fully incorporated.
- Carefully split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes until cooked throughout.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
- To make the buttercream, beat together the icing sugar and butter, then gradually pour in the tea infused milk.
- Once the cakes are cooled, spoon a circle of strawberry jam in the centre on the bottom sponge. Leaving a gap around the sides for the buttercream.
- Slice a handful of the strawberries thinly and layer around the edge of the jam circle.
- Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe blobs around the outer rim of the bottom sponge.
- Place the other sponge on top of the filling and spread a thin layer of the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake.
- Top the cake with a circle of meringues and fill the centre with a selection of fresh berries.
- This recipe was created by our friends over at Baking Mad.