Sophie Dahls Orange And Raspberry Victoria Sponge Food

ORANGE & RASPBERRY VICTORIA SPONGE

Steps:

• Start with the cake. Turn the oven on to 180C/356°F Grease two 2 x 8in Victoria sandwich tins; line the bottom of both tins with grease proof paper and then lightly flour them.
• Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
• Mix the eggs together in a separate bowl then pour them into your mixer.
• Sieve in the flour.
• Add the orange zest.
• Split the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and then bake in the oven for around 25- 30 minutes until they are golden brown and feel slightly springy on top.
• While they are baking make your jam and icing. For the jam put the raspberries, orange juice and heaped tablespoon of golden caster sugar into a small pan. Heat gently and allow to slowly break down and reduce into a jammy consistency, then leave to cool.
• For the icing, mix the softened butter with the sieved icing sugar, juice of ½ an orange and the zest of a whole orange.
• When the cakes are cool - spread some icing on to the top of one sponge, then some jam, then sandwich them together and spread the remaining buttercream over the top. Zest over a little more orange to serve.

VICTORIA SPONGE (CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Cream butter and sugar, add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour between each one. Fold in the rest of the flour and cornstarch and enough of the milk to create a mixture that is a soft, dropping consistency.
• Alternatively, put all ingredients except milk in a food processor and process to a smooth consistency. Then add milk slowly and pulse to reach soft, dropping consistency.
• (Only include the baking powder if you're using the processor method.).
• Pour and scrape the batter into 2 - 8" round cake pans that have been buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for about 25 minutes, until cakes are beginning to come away from the edges, are springy to the touch on top and a cake tester comes away clean. Leave the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 min before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
• When ready to eat the cake, put one layer on a plate, right-way up, spread with jam and scatter fruit on top. Spread a layer of whipped cream on top of frit. Sit the other cake on top and sprinkle with a tbsp or so of sugar.

VICTORIA SPONGE

Steps:

• you will need: 2x19cm (71/2 in) diameter, 4cm (11/2in) deep sandwich cake tins, greased and bases lined with baking parchment.
• Preheat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, 350F, gas mark 4.
• Prepare the cake tins, weigh ingredients and sift the flour 3 times to give it a good airing.
• Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature.
• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand held electric whisk until pale and light- about 10 minutes.
• Mix the eggs and vanilla with a fork.
• Gradually whisk the eggs into the creamed mixture- in about 5 parts.
• Beat each addition of egg in well before adding the next.
• Add a little of the sifted flour with the last addition of egg if the mixture looks like it is separating.
• When all the egg has been beaten in, lightly fold in half the flour using a metal tablespoon.
• Then fold in the remaining flour until combined.
• Divide the mixture between the cake tins and spread level.
• bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Touch the centre of each cake with your fingertips if they fell springy and no imprint remains, they are done.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 2 minutes, then turn out on to a cooling rack.
• Sandwich the layers together with jam or curd and dust with icing sugar.

RHUBARB & ROSEWATER ETON MESS

Steps:

• First make the meringues. Preheat the oven to 140C/120C FAN OVEN/GAS 1/284°F.
• In a clean bowl or mixer whisk the egg whites until they reach firm peaks.
• Gradually mix in the sugar and salt and whisk well until the mixture is thick white and glossy. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
• Line a large baking tray with non stick baking parchment - use a little dab of the meringue mixture to stick it down.
• Spoon the mixture into blobs on your baking tray leaving a generous gap between them. Bake for 1 hour.
• Whilst the meringues are baking, make the rhubarb compote. In a pan, boil the water with the sugar and add the rhubarb when it starts bubbling. Stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. When the rhubarb is tender, remove from the heat. Add the rose water and leave to the side.
• Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
• Split the vanilla pod down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Stir them into the whipped cream.
• Place the cooled meringues on the serving plate, breaking a few of them up and leaving a few whole. Spoon the cream over the top, then drizzle the compote on top of the cream.
• Lightly toast some almond slivers in a frying pan (nothing added) and sprinkle them over the top, delicately decorate with a few crystallised rose petals before sharing with your beloved.