But sugar turns me into a grumpy witch, and wheat makes me balloon at least two dress sizes, so saying no to the delicacies in the cake shops and kids' parties is fairly easy, as soon as I consider the consequences.
My 'bubba' turned 10 recently and I ended up baking 3 cakes in one week – one for school, one for home and one for his party. All of them were sugar-free and gluten-free, and with this much experimenting going on in my kitchen, I decided it was time to try out the Victoria sponge cake. I chose to make it as the 'home cake', in case it was a disaster (then I could feed it to the dog and cats!) and because it's secretly my favourite.
And I was over the moon when, not only did the recipe idea work, but my kids voted it the "best cake ever".
8 oz gluten-free flour – you can either use a sugar-free blend (DO check the ingredients!) or I used a mix of buckwheat, rice & quinoa flour plus 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum – or you can use Doves Farm Gluten-Free flour plus 1 level teaspoon baking powder.
Whisk the egg whites until forming soft peaks – not as much as meringues but still white and fluffy.
If you need to de-seed the vanilla pod, make a light score along the length of the pod, so you are only opening one side, then use a teaspoon to scrape along the open inside of the pod. You'll get a good collection of seeds. There's no need to throw away the pod – keep it safe to make a vanilla pudding or other recipe another time.
Beat the butter, honey, xanthan gum, baking powder and vanilla together until they go a lighter colour and look fluffy. I use my Grannie's geriatric electric whisk and it takes about 1 minute. By hand it's more of a labour of love. This stage is important, because it really helps with the lightness. I add the vanilla, xanthan gum and baking powder at this stage so that I know they're well-blended.
You might want to test for sweetness at this stage, especially if your family has a sweet-sugar-tooth. If it's not sweet enough, you can add a little more honey or a level teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Add the egg yolks and half the flour and beat well until combined.
Gently beat in the rest of the flour with half of the egg white, until well mixed.
Stir in the remaining whisked egg white – this really helps to make the final sponge fluffier.
Divide the mixture equally between two cake tins and gently smooth / flatten the top. It may be runnier than you are used to, but it should still be a thick cake mixture.
Bake in the pre-heated oven until well-risen, golden brown on top and gently separating from the edges of the tin. Use a sharp knife to test the middle of the cake – it will come out clean if it is cooked. Depending on your oven, this will take between 25 and 35 minutes.
Take the cakes out of the oven and leave them to cool completely in their tins.
To assemble the final cake, remove the halves from the tins and take off the greaseproof paper. Place one half on a plate and cover the top with the jam. Whip the cream and spoon roughly on top of this. Then use the final half of the cake to squidge it all together. Serve immediately with a slightly smug smile and watch it disappear.
So how did you get on? Did your family enjoy this delicious gluten-free, sugar-free Victoria sponge recipe? If you want to make it, will it be for a special occasion? Or 'just because'?
Did you tweak it? Are you a habitual-recipe-experimenter? Or do you follow them to the letter?
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3″][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1″ background_hover_color_opacity="1″ width="1/1″][vc_column_text]And as those of you who already hang around here know, I normally write about how to reconnect with your heart and soul, whilst living in a head-based world, but food it still a hugely important part of that, so I include regular Soul-food recipes as part of my other articles and videos. If you'd like to stay in touch and catch the latest inspiration for Soul-Sized Living, then please make sure you're getting my free updates.
Delicious blackberry & apple cake!
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