Vegan Victoria sponge

Vegan Victoria sponge

vegan Victoria sponge baked

Happy weekend, guys! Hope you have some relaxing things planned? We are really excited as finally, after almost a month (we started on 2nd August), we will be able to take a proper shower tomorrow morning. It’s funny how some deprivation makes you appreciate basic comforts again, like warm water pouring on your face from a height without the need for a bucket, a pouring jug, a garden hose or any other mechanisms we’ve had to employ to keep ourselves acceptably clean for a month 😉 .

Yesterday we had the walls grouted and they look magnificent. We did make a last minute decision to change the grout colour we’ve been planning on using and we are really glad we did. The original grout – called beige but looking more like medium brown – looked fine on a small sample I made, but I was really worried that it will look too dark and oppressive once the lines are repeated every 6.5 cm (2½”). The new grout has a warmish light grey tone to it and the tiles are looking great – their shape is nicely accentuated but doesn’t feel like the grout lines are closing in on you, if you know what I mean.

The taps went on yesterday and they look smashing. Today, we get to finally see our custom vanity unit go in and that’s probably something I am most excited about as only just over a month ago it was an idea floating around in my head that I wasn’t even sure is possible. With the help of the ever enthusiastic Duncan and our can-do bathroom guy, it’s happening and I have high hopes for it making the bathroom look really special. I’ll be holding my breath all day until I can see it in place…

Since having this project finally finished feels like a massive milestone, I made a big cake to celebrate and also because the British strawberry season is finally coming to an end, I figured I want to make something special with the last few punnets I buy. I baked a vegan version of a British classic – Victoria sponge.

Two layers of vanilla sponge, sandwiched by simple frosting, some quality strawberry jam and crowned with fresh straws. It’s beautiful to look at and delicious. The traditional versions tend to be simply dusted with icing sugar instead of cream and strawberries but I wanted the strawberries to shine here. Typically, this kind of cake is frosted with simple butter cream – butter whipped with icing sugar. You can do that with vegan butter too, if you wish, but I opted for vegan whipped cream as it works really well and requires far less work. Alternatively, you could also make a simple cashew frosting instead if you’d rather use wholefood ingredients.

vegan Victoria sponge ingredients

vegan Victoria sponge layering

vegan Victoria sponge close up

vegan Victoria sponge cutting

vegan Victoria sponge serving

vegan Victoria sponge plate

vegan Victoria sponge cut

makes
20 cm / 8"
PREP
30 min
COOKING
32 min
makes
20 cm / 8"
PREPARATION
30 min
COOKING
32 min
INGREDIENTS
CAKE

FILLING / TOPPING

  • 250 ml / 1 cup vegan whipped cream (like Oatly)*
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar, to taste
  • 160 g / ½ cup quality strawberry jam
  • 500 g / 1 lb fresh strawberries
METHOD
  1. Heat up the oven to 180° C / 355° F (without the fan function) and grease and line two 20 cm / 8″ round cake tins.
  2. Combine soy milk and lemon juice in a small pot and warm up until just barely lukewarm. It will curdle – that’s what it is meant to do.
  3. Beat softened coconut oil (or vegan butter) and sugar with an electric mixer until nice and fluffy.
  4. Once whipped, fold in about a third of the lemon soy milk mixture and both extracts.
  5. Place a sieve over the bowl and sift in approximately a third of flour and all of the cornflour. Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by making small circles in the middle of the bowl with your spoon to minimise lumps. It will take a while to incorporate well, don’t rush this step. Alternating dry and wet ingredients like this prevents the batter from being too runny to begin with and therefore lumps from forming.
  6. Next, fold in another third of soy milk, followed by another portion of sifted flour.
  7. Finally, add the last of the soy milk followed by both raising agents, salt and xanthan gum (for GF version) with your third batch of flour. Fold really gently so that you don’t knock too much air out of the batter.
  8. Divide the mixture between two tins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean of cake crumbs, about 30-32 minutes.
  9. Allow the cakes to cool down completely before removing from the tins and icing.

FILLING / TOPPING

  1. Whip chilled vegan whipping cream in a clean bowl according to the instructions on the packet. Add vanilla and a bit of sugar to taste.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Spread jam and cream on top of the first sponge cake, decorate with a few fresh strawberry halves.
  2. Top with the second sponge cake, decorate the top with more cream and strawberries or if you are after a more traditional look, simply sprinkle the top with some icing sugar.
NOTES
*SOY MILK works best but other thin plant milks will work too.

*FROSTING if you’d rather use a wholefood frosting, this one wholefood frosting here (replace some of the lemon juice with plant milk) or this one will work well too.

*XANTHAN GUM – only needs to be used if using gluten-free flour mix that doesn’t already contain xanthan (or other) gum.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
349
17%
sugars
29 g
32%
fats
12 g
18%
saturates
10 g
49%
proteins
4 g
8%
carbs
57 g
22%
*per serving
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5.0
7 reviews, 12 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Sam:
I’ve baked a lot of vegan cakes, and this is by far the most beautiful recipe. While the steps may take a bit longer, they are so worth the delicate texture this cake has. My friend visits once a year from Minnesota, and he always requests that I make this. I’ve started using it as my base for any cake now because no other recipe compares. If you were on the fence about trying this, let this be your sign to go for it.
Sometimes I modify it with lemon zest in the cake batter and raspberries for a nice summer filling. I’ve added cinnamon and vanilla instead of lemon extract for a more winter or autumn cake. Of course, it is perfect as is.
I gave it 5 starts, but I wish I could review it again incognito and give it 5 more. Please try this recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thank you Sam, your comment really made my day. I am delighted to hear that this recipe has become such a firm favourite amongst you and your friends - that's music to every recipe developer's ears. Thank you for taking the time to review - comments like this motivate me to keep creating. x Ania
Danielle Ives-Gardiner:
Hello,
Like ever one of your recipes I have tried so far, this is fantastic!
I was wondering, do you think this recipe could be used to make 'mini' versions, created in silicone molds? If so, how long and what temperature would you recommend?
I think these would be GREAT in my cafe!!!
Thank you in advance,
Danielle!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Danielle! I am delighted to hear that you have been enjoying my recipes, that's so lovely to hear! Yes, certainly! It depends how mini you are talking, but if you mean standard muffin size, I would say 180° C / 355° F and about 22-25 minutes but that's just a guess. A toothpick test will help you determine with certainly. Good luck! x Ania
Yokey Lim:
Had raving reviews from colleagues and family ❤️ Do give this a try. I subbed the gluten free flour with all purpose fine self raising flour and it worked amazing. Might add a binder (maybe flax eggs?) since it was a bit crumbly.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, I am so happy to hear that this cake was such a success with your family and friends. As for crumbliess, it sounds like it might have dried out a little too much, shorter baking time should solve the issue. Ania
Helen:
We made the GF version for my son's birthday cake. Delicious! And enormous 😅
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahaha, thanks Helen - I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed and I guess you can never have too much cake ;) (unless you run a blog for a living, that is!) x Ania
Carol Maynard:
Hi there! Thanks so much for this recipe it looks great & I can’t wait to taste it! I’m planning on making it for a friends birthday & have to travel there. I wondered how many days you think it would last in a cake tin? Thanks! Carol
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Carol,
    I would not make it more than 1 day in advance, I don't think. Hope this helps! Ania
Chris Mahoney:
Many thx. Will give it a try.
Chris Mahoney:
Hi I haven’t tried this yet but was wondering if I could reduce the sugar without impacting on the successful outcome of the recipe? Thanks.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Chris,
    You can reduce it a little (by 50-100 g / ¼-½ cup at the most) but any more and the cake's structure will suffer. Sugar doesn't only just contribute sweetness, it's responsible for the structure/texture and that caramelised crust too. Hope this helps! x Ania
sallianne dormans:
Just reading your recipe for the victorian sponge and im curious to know how and when to use the xanthium gum into this resipe please...you didnt state it in your recipe on the web site....as i have never seen or used this product before.
Many thanks and love the recipes
Salli
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Salli,
    Sorry, I missed it in the instructions (will correct now). It only needs to be used if using gluten-free flour mix that doesn't already contain xanthan gum and it goes into the batter at the same time as flour - you can add it in with the last batch of flour. Hope this helps! Ania
deselby:
Looks fantastic!! I know it is a cooking blog, but can we please see a photo of this custom made unit in the bathroom?? Very curious.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you. Hahaha, indeed, I'm not sure there is a way I could incorporate that into my recipe photos :) but you can see in my last Instagram highlighted stories (renovations folder) or email me and I will send you a photo. x Ania
Tash @ Food I Fancy Backgrounds:
Wow, wow,wow!
Absolutely stunning cake, Ania!
Well done on finishing the bathroom. Xx
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks on both counts, Tash :) Another great background! x
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