Victoria Sandwich | The Flatshare
'Hi Leon, I don't know - I've not really thought about it like that, actually. My knee-jerk reaction is yeah, he's good for me. But then, I don't know. We were very up and down, one of those couples everyone's always talking about (we've broken up and got back together a few times before). It's easy to remember the happy times - and there were tons of them, and they were awesome - But guess since we broke up I've only remembered those. So I know that being with him was fun. But was it good for me? Ugh, I don't know.
Hence the Victoria sandwich with homemade jam.
Tiffy xx'
The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary
I think that everybody can appreciate what it’s like to have housemates. Coming home to a house that may already be full of people, the smell of dinner beginning to waft from the kitchen and the scattering of shoes that have to be kicked away from the front door. It’s always a delight when you manage to find housemates that you get along with, whether that be mutual ignorance of each other or a tentative friendship that can grow.
In Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, main characters, Leon and Tiffy, have a seemingly ideal arrangement. Tiffy works days and has the flat and bed at nights. Leon works nights and has the flat and bed during the days. A somewhat ideal arrangement for a city as expensive as London. The Flatshare is a quirky and charming look into the lives of Leon and Tiffy, through the narration of both their personal lives and the multitude of notes they leave scattered about for each other.
One aspect of The Flatshare that I instantly connected with was Tiffy’s coping mechanisms of baking. Who doesn’t deal with any life issues that way? Had a bad day, bake a cake. It is possibly the best way to deal with any stressful situation. While Leon and Tiffy do tend to favour tiffin (a dessert I had never heard of until this read) I immediately jumped at the chance to try my hand at a Victoria sandwich.
Most of my memories associated with Victoria sandwiches are from my grandma. It was her go to cake - the lightest and fluffiest sponge you could ever imagine, layered with thick cream and fresh berries. Delicious. I may not have created something as good as my memories of my grandma’s version - but this one is pretty damn good.
*Notes: I always use Nuttelex as my butter replacement, but you can use whatever you have handy. Best to make the jam the day before or leave enough time to allow it to cool.
Victoria Sandwich
Ingredients
Cake
550g self-raising flour
350g butter *see note
350g golden caster sugar
400ml milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
70g vegetable shortening, softened
150g butter *see note
3 cups icing sugar
2 vanilla pods, scraped out
Homemade Strawberry Jam
400g frozen or fresh strawberries
2 cups white sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Decorations
Fresh strawberries (or any other berries you want, really)
1 tbsp icing sugar
Jam
If using fresh strawberries, mash up before placing them in a saucepan. If using frozen, just add straight into a medium saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.
Keep the saucepan on a low heat, continuously stirring until the sugar is dissolved completely. If you’re using frozen strawberries, begin to mash them down with a fork during this time as they start to defrost.
Increase the heat until bubbling lightly. The jam will start to thick and become quite syrupy. Once it reaches the consistency you want, transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to put the cake together.
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180C, and prepare two 8” cakes tins by greasing them well and placing a a square of baking paper on the bottom.
Stir together the apple cider vinegar and milk - leave to sit and curdle for a few moments.
In a large bowl cream together the butter and golden caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift in the flour, baking power and add in the vanilla extract and milk mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth with no lumps - but be careful not to over-mix. I did mine in my stand mixer and only mixed it for approx. 2 minutes.
Split the batter between the cake tins and place into the oven for 30 minutes. If a skewer inserted into the middle comes out wet, or the middle still looks a little wobbly, leave in for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
After they’ve come out of the oven, leave them in the tins for at least 15 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Leave the cakes to cool completely before attempting to put them together, otherwise the heat will melt the jam and buttercream.
Buttercream
While the cake is cooling it’s a great time to make the buttercream. Beat together the shortening and butter until it’s lightly and fluffy, and well mixed.
Gradually add in the icing sugar, mixing as you go and the vanilla seeds scraped from the pod.
The end result should be a buttercream that’s firm enough to hold the two cakes in place but not so firm it’s hard to spread.
If your cakes are properly cooled, it’s time to put it all together. Spread a layer of jam on one cake, and a layer of buttercream before sandwiching them together. You can also put fresh berries between the layers if you like as well.
Finish the cake off with a sifting of icing sugar and some berries on top. Absolutely delightful with a cup of tea!