Vanilla and Raspberry Victoria Sandwich

This is a really lovely version of the Victoria Sandwich cake, it is light, sweet and full of flavour. The mellow Vanilla flavour of the sponge compliments the sharper, fruity flavour of the Raspberries, a marriage made by nature! I grow my own raspberries and gather them as they ripen, I then open-freeze them until solid then transfer them to a sealed container in the freezer, they break up really nicely for sprinkling over things and your hands don't get covered in juice. The cake is really lovely served with a nice pot of tea or as a cool, light dessert served with some really good Vanilla Ice Cream, in the colder months I serve it with some nice hot custard, it's a really versatile cake.

Here's what you need and what to do...

Preheat your oven to gas mark 5, that's 190 C (375 f) for electric oven owners.

Prepare two 8 inch (20cm) round cake tins, deep or sandwich tins are fine. Grease and line with baking paper, or use Bake-O-Glide liners.

My little secret for getting the ratio of ingredients just right for cakes is to weigh the eggs first and use this weight for the rest of your ingredients, so if your 3 eggs weigh 71/2oz (220g) weigh out everything else to this weight. A large or medium egg from one store will be lighter or heavier than from another. An important rule to follow is to weigh everything out and leave it all in the kitchen for a couple of hours so that everything is at the same temperature, your mixture won't curdle that way!

What you need:

Hardware
A mixing bowl
A wooden spoon
A sieve
A plastic or silicone spatula
A small palette knife
A cooling rack
Greaseproof/Baking Paper

Food stuff
3 eggs - large ones together weigh around 71/2 ounces or 200-225g (weigh your eggs and use that weight for the rest of your ingredients, the weights below are approximate)
71/2oz (200-225g) butter or margarine (I'm a fan of Stork margarine for baking).
51/2oz (150-175g) Caster Sugar
2oz (50g) Vanilla Sugar
71/2oz (200-225g)Self Raising Flour
2 massively heaped tablespoons of good Raspberry Jam (Seedless or Regular)
A handful of Frozen Raspberries
A little extra Caster Sugar for sprinkling
(If you don't have Vanilla Sugar, just use plain Caster Sugar and add a few drops of your favourite Vanilla Extract or Flavouring when you beat in the eggs).

What you do:

Wash your hands!
Pop your caster sugar, vanilla sugar and butter or margarine into the mixing bowl and beat them together with your wooden spoon until light and fluffy and the colour changes to a paler version of what is was. Add one egg and beat into the fat and sugar mixture, (now is the time to add your Vanilla Extract or Flavouring if you are using it), use your spatula to scrape down the mixture from the sides of the bowl. Add the other eggs, one at a time, beating each one into the mixture before adding the next. You should now have a light and mousse-like mixture, don't worry if it has split a little.

Sieve the self-raising flour over the mixture and fold it in using your spatula using a 'figure-eight' motion, don't be heavy handed, use light and gentle motions, fold until well mixed.
Divide the mixture between the two baking tins, spread it gently to ensure it reaches the edges, don't worry about getting a smooth surface, the mixture will spread and level itself during the baking process. Pop the tins onto the middle shelf of your oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. Don't be tempted to open the oven during the cooking time, you'll end up with two thin biscuits if you do! While you are waiting, cut some squares of greaseproof/baking paper big enough for each cake.

When your timer goes off, open the oven door slowly and give the top of your cakes a really gentle prod with a finger, if they are firm and a little 'springy' then they are ready to take out and cool, if not, give them another 3-5 minutes and check again.
Once cooked, sprinkle over a little caster sugar evenly on each cake. Turn out onto the squares of greaseproof/baking paper and transfer to your cooling rack, doing it this way means that the cakes won't stick on the rack and tear when trying to lift them off, the sprinkling of caster sugar stops them from sticking to the paper too.

Once cooled, place one of the cakes onto a cake board or serving plate of your choice and spread the top with the Raspberry Jam, crush the frozen Raspberries gently with your fingers and sprinkle the jewel-like pieces over the layer of jam, add as many Raspberries as you like, pick up the other cake and turn it over so the sugared side is uppermost and place it on the top of the lovely jammy cake to form a 'sandwich'. Sprinkle with a little more caster sugar if you wish.
The cake is best if sealed in a container and left for at least a couple of hours, the cake will lose it's 'crustiness' and soften really nicely.
Serve with a pot of tea and some people you really like!