This week we had a joint birthday party for two of my classmates. One of them, Carmen, is British, so I made the most British-y cake I’m familiar with. I had already been planning on finding a gf Victoria sponge recipe, but then the bag of gluten-free flour I bought had a recipe for it on the side already!

Carmen and the Cake

The recipe said to use 8″ cake tins, and I believe mine are a bit over 9″, so obviously it was going to be thin, but I think even in 8″ pans this would be too little batter. I made 1.5 times the recipe, and I’m just going to write the recipe that way below, because it’s just a crepe sandwich otherwise.

Ingredients:

• 18 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
• 9 ounces caster sugar
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 9 ounces all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons milk
• strawberry jam
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• powdered sugar

The gluten-free flour I was using was a mix of rice, potato, tapioca, maize, and buckwheat flours.

This was the first time I’ve ever found caster sugar (at the fancy far away imported-stuff supermarket). It may also be called super-fine sugar in the US. If you can’t find it, just throw some sugar in the blender before using it to chop it up a bit, or accept that the texture of your finished baked good might be not quite as smooth.

Caster sugar on the left, regular sugar on the right.

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease two 9″ cake tins.

Cream the butter, caster sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Oh, and even though I thought I was buying more butter this week, because the package said butter and showed yellow butter on the front, turns out I bought shortening. Dangit.

One of these things is not like the others…

Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time.

Add the baking powder, flour, and milk, and beat until combined.

Split between the pans.

Bake until set and lightly browned, 18-20 minutes.

Let cool completely in the pans.

Guess it’s ok they don’t have xanthan gum or anything else texture-building, because they’re so thin there’s not a ton of room for things to get gummy/collapsy/anything else wrong.

Meanwhile, beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form, adding enough powdered sugar to make it as sweet as you like.

Turn one of the cakes out of the pan onto a platter. Spread with a layer of jam.

Top with the whipped cream, leaving a bit of room clear at the edges.

Top with the other cake, and sprinkle with powdered sugar, using a sifter if you have one.

You’re ready to party!

Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake

Adapted from a Dove’s Farm flour package.

• 18 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
• 9 ounces caster sugar
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 9 ounces all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons milk
• strawberry jam
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease two 9″ cake tins.

Cream the butter, caster sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time. Add the baking powder, flour, and milk, and beat until combined. Split evenly between the pans. Bake until set and lightly browned, 18-20 minutes, then let cool completely in the pans.

Beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form, adding powdered sugar to taste.

Turn one of the cakes out of the pan onto a platter. Spread with a layer of jam. Top with the whipped cream, leaving a bit of room clear at the edges. Top with the other cake, and sprinkle with powdered sugar, using a sifter if you have one.