All the delicious flavours of a Victoria Sponge Cake in traybake form! This Victoria Sandwich Traybake is quick and simple to make, and very easy to cut up into portions. Perfect for bake sales, parties, potlucks, picnics and lunchboxes!
A traybake twist on a classic!
Hands up who loves a good old fashioned Victoria Sponge? It’s definitely one of my favourite cakes. This Easy Victoria Sandwich Traybake Cake features everything you’d expect from this classic cake – delicious vanilla sponge cake filled with strawberry jam and buttercream, and topped with a dusting of icing sugar – but in a handy traybake form! This makes it easier to cut into portions and easier to transport too – perfect for bake sales, parties, potlucks, picnics and lunchboxes!
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Super easy to make…
And this Victoria Sandwich Traybake Cake is super simple to make. All you need to do is beat together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, self-raising flour and milk. Then spoon the mixture into a traybake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes!
Super easy to decorate
Thanks to its traybake form, this twist on a Victoria Sandwich Cake is also very easy to decorate. Simply cut the cut the traybake cake in half through the middle (I find it easiest to do this with a bread knife) and remove the top of the cake. Then, spread the jam evenly all over the cut surface. Next, spread the buttercream evenly over the jam. Finally put the rest of the cake back on top and dust the cake with icing sugar.
(If you want to add a little extra ‘wow factor’ you can decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries – but that’s strictly optional!)
Strawberry jam or raspberry jam?
Which is the ‘correct’ jam for a Victoria Sponge: strawberry or raspberry? There are many strong opinions on this, but in reality it really doesn’t matter – go for whichever one you prefer! I have used strawberry jam in this traybake version, but raspberry jam in my traditional round Victoria Sponge recipe. In fact, you don’t need to stick to just strawberry or raspberry – you could make a Victoria Sandwich Cake with almost any flavour of jam and it would still be delicious!
Buttercream or whipped cream?
Another debate rages over whether to fill your Victoria Sandwich Cake with buttercream or fresh whipped cream. Again, it really doesn’t matter – just go with whichever you prefer. However, one thing I would say is that buttercream will make your life a little easier. This is because a cake filled with whipped cream will need to be kept in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but finding space in the fridge for a whole cake is pretty tricky! And also, I’m not a huge fan of fridge-cold cake, which is why I prefer to use buttercream.
How to store Victoria Sponge Cake
To keep it fresh, store Victoria Sponge Cake in an airtight cake tin. (I recommend using this traybake pan*, which comes with a lid. You can make the cake in the cake pan and then just pop the lid on and it becomes an airtight storage tin!)
Please note: If you use fresh whipped cream instead of buttercream, you will need to store your Victoria Sponge in the fridge. This is why I much prefer the buttercream version – we never have enough room in the fridge for a whole cake!
How long will Victoria Sponge Cake keep?
A Victoria Sponge, made with buttercream, will keep for up to a week, if kept in an airtight container. (Though it will taste at its best in the first 2-3 days.)
A Victoria Sponge, made with fresh whipped cream, will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Can you freeze a Victoria Sponge Cake?
Surprisingly, cake freezes really well! However, you should freeze the sponge cake BEFORE decorating it. Once completely cold, wrap the sponge cake first in a double layer of baking paper and then in a double layer of foil. Properly wrapped, the cake should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I do not recommend freezing a decorated Victoria Sponge!
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Victoria Sandwich Traybake Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 350 g butter (or margarine) softened
- 350 g caster sugar
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or to taste)
- 350 g self-raising flour (AKA self-rising flour)
- 4 tablespoons milk
Filling:
- 150 g butter (or margarine) softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste)
- 300 g icing sugar (AKA confectioner's sugar) sieved (plus extra for dusting)
- 6-8 tablespoons strawberry jam or whatever jam you prefer! (I used Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve)
Instructions
Making the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F. Grease and line a traybake pan (33 by 23cm / 13 by 9ins).
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar thoroughly, until the mixture starts to look a little bit paler.
- Add in one egg at a time and stir until each egg is completely mixed in before adding the next one.
- Add in the vanilla extract and stir to ensure it is evenly mixed in.
- Add in half the flour and stir gently until mixed in. Add in the remaining flour and, again, stir gently until the flour is mixed in.
- Add in the 4 tablespoons of milk and stir until mixed in.
- Tip the mixture into the lined traybake pan. Smooth over the surface with the back of your wooden spoon.
- Put the traybake into your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove from the oven and check to see if it’s done using a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean, it is cooked. If the skewer is covered in batter, return to the oven for a further 3 minutes and test again. Repeat if necessary, until the skewer comes out clean. (See Note 1.)
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack (See Note 2.) and allow to cool completely. This should take approximately 1 hour.
Decorating the cake:
- Don’t try and decorate the traybake cake until it is completely cold!
- Put the softened butter, vanilla extract and sieved icing sugar in a bowl and beat together until smooth.
- Carefully cut the traybake cake in half through the middle (I find it easiest to do this with a bread knife) and remove the top of the cake. Try to ensure the cut surface is as level as possible.
- Spread the jam evenly all over the cut surface.
- Spread the buttercream evenly over the jam, then put the rest of the cake back on top. (Take care to ensure the top of the cake does not break when you do this!)
- Finally, dust the top of the cake with icing sugar. (I just use a sieve to do this, but you can use an icing sugar dredger if you have one.)
- Cut into portions and serve!
Notes
- If you don’t own a skewer, you can use the handle of a teaspoon, a chopstick or a toothpick instead!
- If you don’t own a cooling rack, you can use the rack from your grill instead – or anything that allows air to flow under the cake.
- Suitable for freezing. (Undecorated cake only.)
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Marie says
This looks delicious but rather large for my tray bake pan can you tell me the size of your pan please so that I can adjust accordingly. Sorry can’t rate as I have not made it yet.
Eb Gargano says
Hi Marie, sorry for not getting back to you sooner – I have been on holiday. My traybake pan is 33 by 23cm / 13 by 9ins. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Jackie Russell says
How deep does the pan need to be please?
Eb Gargano says
Good question! A depth of roughly 5cm or 2 inches would be perfect for this recipe. But a little taller or shorter would work just fine too.