Everyday dinners
Gluten-free Victoria sponge
A vanilla sponge sandwich with raspberry jam, whipped cream and a light dusting of icing sugar.
A Victoria sponge keeps things simple: two vanilla cake layers, raspberry jam and whipped cream. Let the cakes cool completely before filling so the cream holds its shape.
Use a gluten-free self-raising flour blend that already contains xanthan gum. Single flours such as rice or coconut flour will not behave the same way.
The recipe
Gluten-free Victoria sponge
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total*
- 60 min
- Makes
- 10 servings
*Estimated development timings. Allow about 70 minutes for cooling, including 10 minutes in the tins. Cooling is additional to the total time; fill only when both sponges feel completely cool.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
For the sponge
For the filling and top
Equipment
- Use two 20 cm round sandwich tins, at least 4 cm deep.
- Have baking paper, kitchen scales and measuring spoons ready.
- Use a large mixing bowl, a separate bowl for the cream and an electric hand mixer.
- Have a sieve, flexible spatula and clean skewer ready.
- Use a wire cooling rack, serving plate and covered cake container that fits in the fridge.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Prepare the tins
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Use the reserved 10 g butter to grease both tins and line their bases with baking paper. Check that the paper sits flat and the oven has reached temperature before baking.
- 02
Beat the butter and sugar
Beat the remaining 200 g butter with the caster sugar for 4–5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Stop when the mixture looks noticeably paler and fluffy.
- 03
Add the eggs
Beat in the eggs individually, adding a spoonful of the measured flour with each. Scrape the bowl so no buttery streaks remain. Do not taste the raw batter; wash hands and equipment after contact with raw eggs or flour.
- 04
Finish the batter
Fold in the remaining flour and baking powder, then the milk and vanilla. Stop when no dry patches remain and the batter drops from the spatula in soft dollops. Divide evenly between the tins and smooth the tops.
- 05
Bake the sponges
Bake side by side on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes. Both centres should spring back when touched lightly, and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. If either centre is wet, bake for another 3–5 minutes and check again.
- 06
Cool the cakes
Leave in the tins for 10 minutes, then carefully turn onto the rack and peel away the paper. Allow about another hour to cool. Check the centres and undersides feel completely cool before filling.
- 07
Whip the cream
In a clean bowl, whisk the cold cream with 15 g icing sugar until it forms soft mounds that hold their shape. Stop before it looks grainy. Keep refrigerated until the sponges are ready.
- 08
Fill and finish
Put one sponge on the plate. Spread with jam, then cream, leaving a small border. Lower the second sponge onto it without pressing hard. Sift over the reserved 5 g icing sugar. Check the top sits level; cover and refrigerate promptly unless serving immediately.
Ingredient checks
Check that the flour blend and baking powder are labelled gluten-free, and that the flour contains xanthan gum. Check the jam, vanilla and icing sugar for gluten-containing ingredients and relevant allergen warnings. For someone with coeliac disease, use clean tins, beaters, sieves and work surfaces, and butter and jam that have not been contaminated by bread crumbs. Keep ordinary flour away from preparation. Follow the cream's storage and use-by instructions.
Allergens: Contains eggs and milk.; Check the flour blend and all other packets for additional allergens; some gluten-free products contain wheat starch, which must still be declared for wheat allergy.; No celery, crustaceans, fish, lupin, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya or sulphites are intentionally added, but supplier ingredients and cross-contact warnings must be checked..
Make it work for you
Replace the raspberry jam with 150 g strawberry or blackcurrant jam, checking the label for gluten-free suitability.
For a simpler filling, omit the cream and spread the sponge with the stated jam quantity; use only the reserved 5 g icing sugar for the top.
Do not replace the flour blend with a single flour or add extra xanthan gum to a blend that already contains it; other blends and egg replacements need a separately developed method.
For another day
Keep the filled cake covered in the fridge at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours, or sooner if the cream's use-by date or after-opening instructions require it.
Take out only what you plan to serve and keep the cream-filled cake out of the fridge for as little time as possible.
For longer storage, wrap the completely cooled, unfilled sponges separately and freeze promptly for up to one month. Defrost covered in the fridge, fill once fully thawed and eat within 24 hours of defrosting.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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