No.88 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Victoria Sponge

Made famous by Mary Berry

Photo: Gordonplant, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Mary Berry's Baking Bible, 2009.

Britain's afternoon tea cake, named for Queen Victoria and made famous again by The Great British Bake Off. Mary Berry's all-in-one method is the one Britain bakes.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Mary Berry's Baking Bible.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for the pans
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (225 g) superfine (caster) sugar, plus a little to dust
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (225 g) self-raising flour (or all-purpose flour plus 2 1/2 tsp baking powder)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• About 4 tbsp good raspberry jam
• Optional: 2/3 cup (150 ml) heavy cream, whipped

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350F (180C), or 320F (160C) for a fan oven. Butter two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, just until smooth and well blended. Don't overbeat.
3. Divide evenly between the pans (weigh them if you like) and level the tops.
4. Bake on the middle rack 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen, golden and springy, with the edges just pulling away from the pans.
5. Cool 5 minutes in the pans, then run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a rack. Peel off the paper and cool completely.
6. Choose the sponge with the best top for the lid. Put the other upside down on a plate, spread with jam (and whipped cream, if using), then top with the second sponge. Dust with sugar.

Chef's tips

• The butter must be very soft, or the batter won't come together in one bowl.
• Bake on the same day you eat it, or the day before at most.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Mary Berry's Baking Bible by Mary Berry: get the book, No. 85 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 87Chocolate Olive Oil Cake→ No. 89Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding