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Victoria Sponge with Balsamic Strawberry Jam

June 8, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 28 Comments

I love a good cake and they don’t get much better than a classic Victoria sponge. It’s got all you need in a cake; light, sweet, buttery sponge with fruity, slightly sharp jam sticking it all together. It is debated which jam is the best; strawberry, raspberry or even blackcurrant. Strawberry would always win for me and when I saw a lonely punnet of English strawberries at the greengrocer’s I had to buy it. After debating what to make with my edible purchase I set about putting a twist on this traditional cake.
 Balsamic Strawberry Jam close up

It goes without saying that your sponge must be magnificent but I think the jam is just as important as both the literal and metaphorical glue that holds this cake together. As much as I like the fruitiness and sweetness of strawberry jam I enjoy the faint acidity that comes with it. To increase the tang in my jam I wanted to incorporate some balsamic vinegar.

You will need:
3 eggs, beaten
Butter, at room temperature
Sugar
Self raising flour
Vanilla extract
1 punnet of ripe strawberries
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Strawberry jam

strawberries for making jam

I use the tried and tested method of weighing your eggs and then weighing the butter, sugar and flour to the same weight. It always works for me. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then add the eggs bit by bit and the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and then put into two greased 7 inch sandwich tins and bake at 170C for 25-30 minutes. If you press your finger lightly to the top of the cake it should spring back when done.

victoria sponge mix

I made jam once before and it took forever. There’s only so long you can stand with a sugar thermometer in a pan of boiling fruit before you start to think that runny jam won’t be all that bad. I’m glad I persevered with my preserve as it was wonderful but such a faff. I wasn’t about to go through it all again so I sort of cheated a little bit by making less jam than necessary and topping it up with some pre-existing.

finished victoria sponge

Remove the green parts of the strawberries and cut into quarters. Put them into a saucepan with a sprinkling of sugar and heat gently until you have a strawberry mush. You can of course use a masher to speed things up a little. Add the balsamic vinegar and then cook on a high heat until it’s thickened. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool a little before mixing in a little readymade strawberry jam. If you do it this way it doesn’t matter if the balsamic strawberries are a little thin as the pre-made jam should help keep everything nice and sticky.
When the sponges have cooled, ladle on the balsamic strawberry jam and stick the two halves together. I’m not sure whether icing or caster sugar should top the cake but I went for icing sugar; it’s more romantic somehow.

Victoria Sponge with Balsamic Strawberry Jam close up

There’s nothing quite the same as a homemade cake; the smell that fills the house and creates such anticipation and when it is finally rewarded. This cake was divine, perhaps not perfect, it was just what I wanted it to be. It had a long-established, recognisable flavour with new interest and intrigue at the same time. The balsamic strawberry jam added not only extra tartness but also additional fruitiness and depth. It was a cake that mixed the well known with the new and one I will definitely be making again.

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Filed Under: Baking, Berries, Butter, Cake, Dairy & Eggs, Eggs, Fruit, Jams & Marmalade, June, Pudding, Recipes By Month, Seasons, Store Cupboard, Strawberry, Summer Tagged With: Baking, cake, recipe, strawberry

« Rhubarb and Elderflower Crumble
Miniature Elderflower Cakes made with Elderflower Sugar »

Comments

  1. Guru Uru says

    June 8, 2012 at 21:05

    What a perfect example of a victoria sponge my friend, best cake ever 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply
  2. Alida says

    June 8, 2012 at 21:08

    What a nice summery cake. And the balsamic is heaven with strawberries!

    Reply
  3. Chris says

    June 8, 2012 at 21:20

    Great cake! I have to put this on my ever increasing list – but first I have to figure out, how to eat all the things still in my fridge.
    Well, I like the part with balsamic vinegar in the jam!

    Reply
  4. Kit @ i-lostinausten says

    June 8, 2012 at 22:22

    Lovely sponge cake with strawberries! I’ve never tried balsamic vinegar & strawberry combo! This sounds interesting & good! Love to try this recipe with the strawberries that we’re going to harvest! Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Sarah Toasty says

    June 8, 2012 at 22:34

    obsessed with strawberries and balsamic, fully endorse this cake! can’t wait to try!

    Reply
  6. rita cooks italian says

    June 9, 2012 at 05:37

    I love balsamic on salads or boiled vegetables. I never tried it with jam or strawberries but this cake is quite inspiring. It’s a question of finding the right balance, I guess.

    Reply
  7. Mark Willis says

    June 9, 2012 at 06:03

    Looks lovely, BUT – would the WI approve of the Balsamic???

    Reply
  8. The Chef Doc says

    June 9, 2012 at 06:19

    This looks absolutely splendid!

    Reply
  9. Elpiniki says

    June 9, 2012 at 08:42

    Amazing cake! I bet this strawberry jam is delicious!!

    Reply
  10. David Crichton says

    June 9, 2012 at 10:36

    That strawberry jam is genius. I love strawberries macerated with balsamic so this would be perfect for my crumpets!

    Reply
  11. sylvan says

    June 9, 2012 at 10:43

    looks a delight… i love a classic cake like this but have to do mine with raspberries as i have a strawberry allergy…never tried balsamic with raspberries!!

    Reply
  12. Toni @ Boulder Locavore says

    June 9, 2012 at 12:10

    My favorite part of this whole post is the using the weight of the eggs to determine the quantity of flour, butter and sugar! I have not heard of that before and it clear produced a gorgeous cake!

    I’ve had strawberry and balsamic vinegar in a dessert before and never would have imagined how good it is. Beautiful dessert my friend!

    Reply
  13. Maggie says

    June 9, 2012 at 14:08

    I think your cake measurement method is the best way, I use it too and it never fails. Fab jam too and I like the use of balsamic too.

    Reply
  14. Navaneetham Krishnan says

    June 9, 2012 at 14:56

    Lovely cake and I like how perfect the jam sits in between the slices.

    Reply
  15. Sippity Sup says

    June 9, 2012 at 16:53

    As an American “Victoria Sponge” is a term I haven’t heard before. So this post was like getting to know “cake” all over again. Thanks GREG

    Reply
  16. Amy says

    June 10, 2012 at 03:10

    This sounds delicious! I love strawberries and balsamic together :)!

    Reply
  17. Toni @ Boulder Locavore says

    June 10, 2012 at 13:02

    Coming back to leave another comment to congratulate you on your Foodbuzz Top 9 for this post! It’s fantastic and I’m delighted for you it got the recognition it deserves.

    Reply
  18. Lilly says

    June 10, 2012 at 20:02

    I’ve never heard of a punnet before, but I learned that it means 250 grams. At least I hope it 250 grams =)

    Great job on the cake. It looks wonderful!

    Reply
  19. laura@howtocookgoodfood says

    June 10, 2012 at 21:33

    Loving your strawberry balsamic jam. A combination I think works so well especially when combined with a fabulous looking Victoria sponge.
    Thanks so much for entering this into #oneingredient!
    Laura@howtocookgoodfood xx

    Reply
  20. Emily Lynne {The Best of this Life} says

    June 11, 2012 at 02:08

    Your cake looks beautiful and lovely for Summer! New follower 🙂

    Reply
  21. Marina@Picnic at Marina says

    June 11, 2012 at 04:53

    This post came just on time: I was looking for a recipe to make a sponge cake. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  22. Green Dragonette says

    June 11, 2012 at 10:12

    I just love strawberries with balsamic and the idea to use them in a Victoria Sponge is genius!!

    Reply
  23. Shu Han says

    June 11, 2012 at 11:23

    Apparently, the traditional proper way to go is with raspberry jam, but I’m not a stickler for tradition and balsamic strawberry jam sounds pretty much amazing.

    Reply
  24. Jenn Kendall says

    June 11, 2012 at 18:50

    that is a beautiful cake and that strawberry jam sounds divine!

    Reply
  25. Tania @ A Perfect Pantry says

    June 12, 2012 at 01:06

    Classic cake with delicious fresh strawberries… Yum. Such a gorgeous cake.

    Reply
  26. Leah @ foodforthefresh says

    June 20, 2012 at 03:09

    Just discovered you blog. Love the point of view, and your recipes!! This looks divine.

    Reply
  27. The Cooking Actress says

    June 25, 2012 at 15:50

    That cake looks elegant and completely beautiful

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My 12 favourite recipes of 2012 - All That Im Eating says:
    May 4, 2015 at 09:50

    […] June Victoria Sponge with Balsamic Strawberry Jam […]

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Hello I’m Caroline

Welcome to my site All That I’m Eating. You will find inventive recipes using seasonal and foraged ingredients as well as everyday easy meals and a few indulgent recipes too.

I believe humble food doesn’t have to be hum drum so whether you’ve oodles of onions, superfluous sausages or apples aplenty I hope you enjoy having a look around.

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