Great British Bake Off special: Triple-layer berry Victoria sponge cake 

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Great British Bake Off special: Triple-layer berry Victoria sponge cake

By Candice Brown

Published: | Updated:

CANDICE BROWN, winner 2016 

SERVES 10-12

335g self-raising flour

335g unsalted butter, softened

335g golden caster sugar

3 tsp baking powder

6 large eggs

grated zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lemon

150g raspberries

600ml double cream

500g strawberries, hulled

icing sugar, to finish

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease three 25cm round, loose-bottomed sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
  • Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the butter, sugar, baking powder, eggs, lemon zest and juice. Mix together until smooth, fluffy and combined. If using an electric mixer, set it on a medium speed and do not over-mix.
  • Divide two-thirds of the mixture between two of the tins. Reserve five of the fresh raspberries for decoration, then add the rest to the last third of the mixture and mix them through, crushing some of the raspberries as you go. Put this mixture into the third tin.
  • Place the three tins in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the sponges are risen and golden, and are slightly coming away from the edges (try not to open the oven before the 20 minutes are up). The raspberry sponge may need another 5 minutes. Remove the tins from the oven and turn out the sponges on to a wire rack. Leave to cool.
  • Whip the double cream until thick enough to hold its shape – do not over-whip. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
  • Reserve five of the strawberries for the decoration. Evenly slice the rest of the strawberries.
  • Pipe a layer of double cream on to one of the plain sponges. Top with a layer of sliced strawberries. Spread a small amount of cream on the underside of the raspberry sponge, then place it gently on top of the strawberries (the cream helps the sponges stick together).
  • Pipe a layer of double cream on the raspberry sponge and top this with the rest of the sliced strawberries. Spread a small amount of cream on the underside of the other plain sponge, then set this on top of the strawberries. Push down gently and check the layers are even.
  • Top with any leftover cream, the reserved strawberries (cut in half), the reserved raspberries, and dust with icing sugar.
  • As this is sandwiched with fresh cream it is a good idea to eat it on the day it is made. It is a huge cake, so is best shared at a party as a fab centrepiece! Don’t be afraid to vary the flavours. Try lime and raspberry, or in the autumn go for blackberry and apple. The basis of the sponge will never change but go nuts with the flavours and decoration.