Delia Smith’s all-in-one Victoria sponge puts equal weights of self-raising flour, spreadable butter, golden caster sugar and eggs into one bowl, whisked together for a minute and split between two tins. No creaming, no rubbing in. It bakes at 170C for about 25 minutes and gives you a light, even sponge to fill with jam and cream.
She teaches it as the Classic Sponge Cake in Delia’s Cakes, and calls it where cake-making begins. The all-in-one method is the point: everything goes in at once, so there’s no creaming stage to get wrong. She adds a teaspoon of baking powder on top of the self-raising flour, which replaces the air you’d normally beat in by hand.
The one thing that catches people out is whisking for too long. Delia says about one minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy, then stop. Keep going past that and you overwork the flour, so the sponge bakes tough and tight instead of soft. With an all-in-one, less mixing beats more every time.
Delia Smith Victoria Sponge All In One Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes25
minutes265
kcalFrom Delia’s Cakes, where she calls it the Classic Sponge Cake. A true all-in-one beginner’s sponge, mixed in one bowl in a minute, baked in two 18cm tins and finished with preserve and a dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
115g self-raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
115g spreadable butter
115g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To finish:
preserve of your choice, such as raspberry jam or lemon curd
whipped cream or fresh berries (optional)
icing sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan/Gas 3). Lightly butter two 18cm loose-based sponge tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
- Combine: Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, then add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whisk with an electric hand whisk for about 1 minute, until you have a smooth, creamy batter.
- Divide: Split the mixture evenly between the two tins and level the tops with the back of a spoon.
- Bake: Bake near the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the sponges are golden and the centre springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
- Cool: Leave for about 30 seconds, then loosen the edges with a palette knife and turn out onto a wire rack. Peel off the lining and flip the sponges so the tops face up, to stop them marking.
- Fill: Once completely cold, sandwich the sponges with your preserve, adding whipped cream or berries if you like, then dust the top with icing sugar.
FAQs
Why add baking powder when the flour is already self-raising?
The all-in-one method skips the creaming stage, where you’d normally beat air into butter and sugar. That extra teaspoon of baking powder makes up for the lost air, giving the sponge the lift it needs to rise evenly. Without it, an all-in-one sponge bakes flatter and denser than a creamed one.
Why does Delia use spreadable butter?
Spreadable butter is soft straight from the fridge, so it blends into the other ingredients in that one minute of whisking. Block butter, unless it’s very soft, leaves little lumps that won’t beat out in the short mixing time. If you only have block butter, let it come to room temperature first so it’s soft enough to combine.
Can I make it in 20cm tins instead of 18cm?
Yes, though the sponges will be a little thinner and may need a minute or two less in the oven. Delia’s team suggests around 150ml double cream to fill an 18cm cake, or 200ml for a 20cm one if you’re using cream. Keep the batter quantities the same and just watch the bake, testing with the spring-back press a little earlier.
What’s the best filling for a Victoria sponge?
Classic raspberry jam is hard to beat, but lemon curd gives a sharper, brighter filling that cuts the richness. In summer, whipped cream with fresh berries makes it feel like a proper pudding, and a spoon of Delia’s summer fruit compote works beautifully folded through the cream. Whichever you pick, only fill it once the sponges are fully cold or the filling slides straight out.
How do I stop the sponge sinking in the middle?
Don’t open the oven door during baking, since the rush of cold air makes a half-set sponge drop. Make sure your oven is properly up to 170C before the tins go in, as a cool oven sets the outside before the middle rises. Use the spring-back test rather than the clock, because every oven runs slightly differently.
How should I store it and how long does it keep?
A jam-filled sponge keeps in an airtight tin for two to three days, staying soft thanks to the buttery crumb. If you’ve used cream, keep it in a covered box in the fridge and eat it within a day, since the cream won’t hold longer. For a make-ahead sweet that keeps better, something like Mary Berry’s vanilla cheesecake sits happily for days.
