Blueberry & Lemon Victoria Sponge
Easy Bank Hol Baking
I created this recipe for St Dalfour, you can find the video here.
Hi all, happy bank hol weekend. This week it’s an easy baking recipe for you.
When I was little, I used to stay at my nan’s house quite a lot. One of my absolute favourite breakfasts was a slice of white bread, toasted until just golden, topped with plenty of salted butter and a generous amount of St. Dalfour Blueberry Fruit Spread. It’s one of those early food memories that really stuck — sweet, salty, warm and comforting. So when St. Dalfour asked me to create an Easter baking recipe, I instantly knew the flavour I wanted to use. It’s nostalgic, simple, and still so delicious all these years later.
This sponge is one of the simplest cakes you can make. It’s an equal-parts recipe, which makes everything really straightforward — butter, sugar, eggs, and dry ingredients all balanced for the perfect texture. The one crucial tip? Weigh your eggs. Egg sizes vary a lot, and that little difference can be the reason your cake turns out super moist and lovely, or sadly on the dry side. So even if you're using "large" eggs, pop them on the scale and adjust the other ingredients to match.
With the Easter weekend here, this is a great one to make and take with you if you’re heading to a BBQ, family lunch, or catching up with friends. It’s quick to pull together, looks beautiful on the table, and has that perfect balance of light sponge, whipped cream and rich, fruity filling.
Plotting (a small) comeback in the garden
After a few failed attempts over the past couple of years, I’m really determined to have a proper go at growing veg this year. I picked up some little starter plants from Peckham Carboot on Sunday: peas, broad beans, and rainbow chard, and they’ve already doubled in size.
The only real success I’ve had was during the first lockdown summer, when I grew courgettes and somehow ended up with about 50 of them. Since then? Not much luck. So if you’ve got any tips for keeping these plants alive and thriving, I’d genuinely love to hear them — drop a comment or message me! I might take you along on the journey with the occasional update, if I have any joy this time around. If all goes well there might even be a few pea and broad bean recipes coming your way.
RECIPE BELOW…
Blueberry & Lemon Victoria Sponge
Ingredients
For the sponge
400g unsalted butter, at room temperature
400g golden caster sugar
400g whole eggs (approx. 7–8 medium eggs), lightly beaten
200g self-raising flour
200g ground almonds
1 lemon, zested
For the filling & topping
600ml double cream
60g icing sugar
St. Dalfour Blueberry Fruit Spread (as generous as you like!)
A handful of toasted flaked almonds, for decorating
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C and line two 8-inch cake tins with greaseproof baking paper. Butter the sides of the tin for good measure.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using an electric whisk, beat the butter for 3–5 minutes, until pale, super smooth and creamy.
Add the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes. This stage is key for a light, fluffy sponge, so don’t rush it.
Slowly pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time. If the mixture starts to split, just add 1 tablespoon of the self-raising flour to bring it back together.
Add the rest of the self-raising flour, ground almonds, and the lemon zest. Gently fold everything together until just combined. Don’t overmix at this stage, you want a smooth, airy batter.
Divide the mixture evenly between your prepared tins. Smooth the tops and bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden, risen, and a skewer comes out clean.
Let the cakes rest in their tins for 5 minutes, then turn them out upside down onto a wire rack to cool completely. This helps flatten the tops naturally.
In a clean bowl, whip the double cream with the icing sugar until it holds just-firm peaks, don’t take it too far.
Place one sponge layer on a serving plate. Spread over half the whipped cream. Spoon over a generous amount of St. Dalfour Blueberry Fruit Spread, as much or as little as you like. Sandwich with the second sponge. Top with the remaining cream and scatter over toasted flaked almonds.
I love cakes .