Cooking with children is a great way to practise reading. It’s great for reluctant readers who don’t want to pick up a book.
This cake is named after Queen Victoria who liked to have a slice with her afternoon tea. It is usually made with a jam and cream filling – but you can use fresh fruit or lemon curd and buttercream if you prefer.
You will need
- 225g/8oz butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour
- Milk, to loosen
- Jam/ fresh berries/ lemon curd
- Whipping cream
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Grease and line 2 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time along with a tablespoon of the measured-out flour with each egg.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.
- Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove from the tin and peel off the baking paper.
- Place the cakes onto a wire rack.
- Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries.
- If you use cream to fill the cakes, be sure to keep any leftovers in the fridge.
