The classic Victoria Sponge is a simple and delicious traditional english cake. The basic recipe can be tweaked slightly to many more cakes and desserts such as chocolate cake, cupcakes, muffins, marble cakes, rainbow cakes - the list is endless!

The Victoria Sponge is delicately flavoured with vanilla essence and in its purest form cotains jam to sandwich the two halves together and a dusting of icing sugar on the top.

• Pre heat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas 4/5.
• Line the sandwich cake tins with grease proof paper .
• Cream together the butter and the sugar until pale, using the wooden spoon.
• Beat in the eggs.
• Add in a few drops of vanilla essence
• Sift in the flour and then fold it in using a large metal spoon.
• The mixture should be of a dropping consistency - if it isn't, add a little milk.
• Add equal amount of cake mixture to the tins. Gently even out with a spatula or back of your metal spoon.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. There a number of ways that you can tell if a cake has finished cooking.
1. If you insert a skewer into a ready cake it will come out clean.
2. Gently press the top of the cake. If the cake is firm and springs back to position then it is ready.
3. Listen to the cake, if you can hear a lot of bubbling and crackling it is still cooking, if it is quiet its ready!
• Remove from the over and allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack, removing the greaseproof paper and let it cool.
• Sandwich the cakes together with jam/whipped cream and sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.