Classic Victoria Sponge with Whipped Cream & Strawberry Jam

Preheat the oven to 170°C Fan. Butter and line three 20cm (8 inch) round cake tins.

Put the butter and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and beat together on a high speed for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract to the beaten eggs and mix together. Add ¼ of the beaten eggs to the butter mixture and beat on a medium speed until the mixture is combined and looks the same as before you added the eggs. Keep adding ¼ of the egg mixture and beating until all the egg in incorporated. For the last couple additions of egg add a tablespoon of the flour along with the egg to stop the mixture splitting.

Finally add the flour and gently combine until it is all folded in with no floury bits. Add the milk and gently mix again. The mixture should be thick but drop ‘reluctantly’ from a spoon.

Divide the cake mixture between the three tins. Smooth the top of the mixture making a small indentation in the middle to (hopefully) counteract a domed rise.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the cake is just starting to come away from the edge of the tin and a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes and then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the cream on top of one of the cooled cakes. Then spread the Mackays Strawberry Preserve on top of the cream. Put the second cake on top. Then repeat the layers of cream and jam and add the final cake. Add a dollop of cream on top of cake and arrange a few summer berries on the cream. Dust the cake with icing sugar. This cake is best served on the day it’s made