Mother’s Day is around the corner and Jackie Cameron has created the perfect treat to share with your special mom! This fluffy easy-to-make Victoria sponge is balanced with peaks of whipped cream and fresh, tart strawberries for just the right amount of sweetness.

According to Jackie, the secret to a successful sponge cake is to achieve maximum volume when beating the eggs, and ensuring that they deflate as little as possible when mixing in the dry ingredients.

Ingredients:

Cake:
200g castor sugar
200g butter, soft
4 whole eggs, separated
200g self-raising flour
5ml baking powder
30ml full cream milk

Filling:
100g butter, soft
140g icing sugar, sifted
1 drop vanilla extract
170g good quality strawberry jam
Icing Sugar and halved fresh strawberries to decorate

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line the base with baking paper.
2. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg yolks and continue whisking.
3. Fold in flour and baking powder.
4. Finish with milk and lightly fold in the soft peak whisked egg whites.
5. Divide the mixture between the tins and weigh 398g x2, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
6. To make the filling, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in icing sugar and vanilla extract.
7. Spread the butter cream over the bottom of one of the sponges, top it with jam and sandwich the second sponge on top.
8. Dust with a little icing sugar before serving and decorate with fresh strawberries. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2 days. Do not place in a fridge as this will make the cake stale.