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A Victoria Sponge is a favourite in many households, thanks to its simple yet delicious combination of cream and jam sandwiched between two light cake layers. When it comes to the cake, a fluffy texture is one of the most important things, and while you can throw in all the ingredients together when creating the mix and still come out with a tasty treat, there is a particular way to get that airy and light bounce.
Many bakers rely on baking powder to give their cakes a boost. However, Angie, an administrator of a baking forum on Help Me Bake, shared what is known as the creaming method – a technique used to give your cake “the best rise” and more height. It involves a specific way of dealing with the butter and sugar when preparing your cake mix.
Angie wrote: “Use the ‘creaming method’ for the butter and sugar, as this is where you’ll trap air pockets between the butter and sugar, which will give your cake a better rise.
“Ensure you beat the butter and sugar until it goes really pale, like a very light yellow. The paler it goes, the more air you trap in the sugar crystals, which will help give you the best rise.
“You can whisk this for about 3 – 5 mins if you want because all you’re doing is adding air to them, you’re not overworking them so whisk away!”
She added: “No baking powder, never use it in Victoria mix, add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, then add flour. You can sieve it in if you like for more aeration. Mix until combined then put in tin and bake.”
If you want to add more air to your mixture, Angie recommends beating the eggs with a hand whisk and frothing them up in a jug. Then, add the beaten eggs one at a time and “gently” fold them in the butter and sugar.
She added: “This will hopefully keep all the air you’ve generated in the butter and sugar and eggs. Then sieve in the flour and fold in gently only until the flour is covered with the wet ingredients and there are no flour pockets. (If you carry on mixing it you’ll start knocking all the air out of it). Then pour into the tin and bake.
“The aeration will help give the cakes the rise and the fluffiness you want.”
