Five years ago, I was bored and looking for something new to watch on Netflix. Not much has changed but anyways, I stumbled upon this Baking Show. As a lover of baking and all things British, I figured “Why not?” and entered into my first viewing of The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known in the US. The Great British Bake Off, as it’s known in the UK had just transitioned onto the streaming service so I didn’t know what to expect. I watched as 12 nervous Brits battled their way through Swiss Rolls, a cherry almond cake and then mini cakes to impress these two seasoned judges. After the first episode, I wasn’t totally sold. So I watched another, and then it happened. The gateway drug wasn’t needed. I was fully addicted. I wanted to be star baker. I wanted to show my signature bake. I wanted in that tent.
Sadly, because I have training, I can never enter the tent. So I’ve made my own over the past two years. Trying to advance my bakes, up my game baking wise and try new decorating techniques. I’ve gabbed to my fellow Bake Off lovers, they know who they are, about contestants and different ideas or fails. Even my Mother, who was half the reason I went in to cooking and an avid baker herself, fell hard for the show. My friend Katie and I both discussed different things we had tried and new seasons as they came on.
So when the concept of English Classics came up, there was one thing that had to be done. One recipe that I had been dying to attempt myself and one woman who’s trail I needed to walk: Mary Berry.
While not currently on the Bake Off because of contract and station drama, she was and is to British Baking what Julia Child was to French Cooking: The Queen. With more then 30 books under her belt, she has become THE go to resource in not just Baking, but now homemaking and home cooking. In each of the four seasons that Mary is on in the US, each season had one thing in common: the bakers were in awe of this woman. To have her just put a forkful of their bakes in her mouth was a prize worth winning in and of itself.
I didn’t attempt to rewrite the bible with this. I knew right off the get go that it wasn’t a fight worth fighting. Mare knows her stuff. But those of us who do love baking know that it is a science. If one thing is off, then everything will be off. It’s why some hate baking, and why others love it. I love it, but if I’m keeping it real, something was off this week.
It took 3 attempts to get this cake right. Something was just off. Her recipe called for Caster Sugar, which we don’t normally carry in the US in regular grocery stores. I read tips online to pulse it in a food processor to make it a finer sugar. I feel that didn’t work. After two attempts with that, I ordered the real stuff from Amazon.
I can’t stress this enough: PARCHMENT PAPER IS YOUR FRIEND. I made the mistake of thinking a nonstick pan and butter would do the job. Clearly, it did not. Combining the other two, plus the parchment paper cut to fit on the cake pans made all the difference.
The recipe made a decent sized cake in each container, but I will say if you want a thicker cake, I would actually double the recipe. After doing a run with strawberry jam, it was noticeable that a raspberry jam actually cut the sweetness and gave more tartness to off set the sweetness of the buttercream.
You don’t have to do a buttercream as a Victoria Sponge traditionally does just jam. I feel the buttercream just adds another element of moisture, flavor and of course, creaminess.
Don’t give up if one recipe doesn’t work on the first try, especially with baking. I chatted with my GBBO crew, mainly Katie and Mom, who have both had baking fails over the years. Fight and figure it out! Truth be told, I’ll be making this again. Mostly because I’m a perfectionist and I want to improve.
So I’m going to hand it over to Mary. And although I doubt she’ll ever see this or will ever read this, I want to thank her for what she has given to the world of not just Bakers, but home bakers. For having us all up our games, opening many of us up to desserts and bakes we may have never heard of and for being just an amazing, bad ass woman who blazed a trail in culinary history. So thank you Mary, you are Star Baker.
Large All in One Victoria Sandwich
Recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible and BBC
- 8oz Softened Butter
- 8oz Caster Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs
- 8oz Self Rising Flour
- 2 level teaspoons baking powder
Raspberry Jam
- 7oz Fresh Raspberries
- 9oz White Sugar
Buttercream
- 3 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 7oz Confectioners Sugar, sifted
- 2 Tbsp milk
Pre-heat the oven to 355 degrees.
Grease 2 8 inch pans and then line the base of each tin with parchment paper.
Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat until thoroughly blended. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level out.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until well rise and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
When completely cold, sandwich the cakes together with the jam and buttercream. Sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.
Raspberry Jam
Place raspberries and sugar in a medium pan over medium heat. Reduce down until mixture is thick and able to coat a spoon. Allow to cool down before spreading on sponge.
Buttercream
Place softened butter in a mixing bowl. Using a whisk attachment, beat on medium speed and slowly add in confectioner’s sugar until all is incorporated.
Spread or pipe onto jam and sponge and top with the other sponge.