Chocolate Victoria Sponge Recipe (all-in-one)

This all-in-one chocolate sponge recipe is a doddle to make and delivers great results every time....

.... BUT...

.... To avoid burning out your handheld mixer, I recommend using either a stand mixer (e.g. Kenwood or KitchenAid) or a heavy-duty hand mixer (such as a Dualit) or be prepared to emulate Paul Hollywood's bread dough mixing skills - as it's his recipe that's the inspiration for my chocolate sponge!

First lightly butter 2 deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins and base line (be careful on sizing, as I first used standard `Victoria' sponge tins, and ended up with 'mushroom topped' sponges).

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºc/gas mark 4 and soften the butter (either to soft room temperature, or by microwaving for 60 seconds at the 'low'/defrost setting).

Ingredients (in order!!!)

sift together (twice, ideally):
200g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
30g good quality cocoa
pinch of salt

Add:
230g golden caster sugar

Mix

Then add:
230g softened butter
4 eggs lightly beaten (medium/large - total weight around 230g)

Mix at a low speed until evenly combined (warning - it'll be heavy going!). Stop at the moment the mixture looks even coloured and use a metal spoon to ensure there's no dry ingredients sticking to the base of the bowl.

Divide the mixture between the 2 tins - the pre-greased base will help to keep the liners in place - and smooth, then bake for 25 minutes. At this point (as I have a Rayburn) I turn the sponges and give them a further 5 minutes. The sponges should be golden, slightly shrunken from the sides and feel firm to the touch.

Leave for 5 minutes, then transfer (on their bases) to cool on a wire rack.

Now to assemble!

For me, the essential sandwich layer is raspberry jam or fresh raspberries (@ 100g) with either:

Softened chocolate spread (Whole Earth lightly whipped chocolate or hazelnut spread are both worth a try - 30 seconds, low setting, in the microwave works for me)

or, more traditionally, 150ml whipped cream

Better still, make a chocolate ganache (melt 200g good quality chocolate - for me Green & Black's every time, half milk/half plain in 200g single cream, over a bain-marie. Then allow to cool for a while) and use half to sandwich the sponge and half to coat the top.

End result - GONE IN MINUTES. At least, it is in my household!

UPDATE:

Since publishing, I've discovered Opies Black Cherries with kirsch. AND Wilkin & Sons - Tiptree -Cherry Fruit Spread (sweetened with grape juice concentrate, rather than sugar). Substitute these ingredients for raspberry jam/fresh raspberries in the 'sandwich' and the results are SUBLIME!