British Bites: Victoria Sponge Cake

My culinary creation

When I hosted a discussion of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford for my Book Club, I wanted to recreate an authentically English experience. In short, a tea party was clearly the order of the day. I pulled out my mother's minute teacups and saucers and purchased a variety of teas: fruit, peppermint, camomile and a basic black. Can I tell you how thrilled I was to find Tetley's tea in my local American grocery store? Premium Early Grey is very fancy and all, but sometimes I like to stick with what I know.

My dilemma consisted of determining which classic English food I should make to accompany the tea. My first thought was to bake scones, an idea that was quickly scratched when I discovered what a lengthy process it is to make clotted cream. Why can't I buy that here?! Then I had an epiphany: Victoria sponge cake! When I discovered during my online research that the Victoria sponge is so called because it was popular during that monarch's reign in the nineteenth century, I was sold. It fit in perfectly with a reading of Cranford, a text that perfectly evokes a sense of rural community in Victorian England.

My cake was a success! I followed this recipe from BBC Food, and it was delicious -- though I say it myself. It seemed to go down well with the Book Club, as many of my fellow readers gobbled up two servings. True, they might have accepted proffered cake slices merely as a matter of politeness, stuffing whole chunks into their handbags to spare my feelings. My family, on the other hand, wouldn't withhold the truth. They loved it too. Christian, my brother, even requested I whip up another Victoria sponge cake for his birthday party this weekend. I consider that a success!

So, I happily pass on the recipe for this glorious confection to you, with the modifications I made to accommodate American cooking.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

milk to loosen

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 7-inch cake tins with wax paper. (I used a 9-inch cake pan, and it still turned out well.) Grease tins with cooking spray and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.  

Beat butter and sugar until it becomes pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture. Add milk as needed. (I think I used a few tablespoons.) The batter should be thick, with a consistency that is closer to, say, a cream cheese frosting than a traditional cake batter. 

Divide batter into the cake tins, and bake for 20-25 minutes. After taking cakes out of the oven, allow them to cool for approximately 5 minutes before removing from the tins and peeling off wax paper. Then let them cool completely.

The beauty of the Victoria sponge cake is that you can choose your filling. Traditionally, it has a cream and raspberry filling. I slathered on store-bought Smucker's raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream. You could also use strawberry jam, fresh fruit, lemon curd, etc. Once the cakes have been sandwiched together with the filling, liberally dust the top with powdered sugar. It makes 10-12 servings. If you're like me, you'll add a large dollop of whipped cream to each slice upon serving. That extra creaminess is worth maxing out your weekly saturated fat allowance.

That's it. Do you see how easy that is to make? (If this reluctant baker can do it, you most certainly can.) It's simple but tasty. If you like cake half as much as I do, you will be in dessert heaven with the Victoria sponge!  I highly recommend whipping one up the next time you're crave a delectable treat. You won't be disappointed.

Victorian Tea Party

Back in September Ana and I went to the Leeds Art Gallery for an afternoon visit.  It's fairly small, but it's easy to navigate.  I spent a long while drooling over the Pre-Raphaelite section, particularly John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shallott Looking at Lancelot:

Isn't it gorgeous?!

The gallery features a Victorian-era tea room in lieu of the standard cafe, so after our museum meandering Ana treated me to a little tea party complete with cake.  The Yorkshire cream tea was delicious, and the addition of cake made it that much better.  (Cake makes everything better.)

Ana

A steaming cuppa

 Moi

The gorgeous tea room

I love the Victorians -- did I say that already?

Check out the ceiling

Isn't it incredible? 

 Ana sips her tea

Ginger lime cake

Adding extra milk to my tea

People watching outside the window

And finally...

A tiny bearded man has invaded my teacup!

That was Ana's initial reaction when she saw this photo

It does sort of appear that way, doesn't it?

I had a wonderful time pretending I was a Victorian lady at tea.  If you are in the Leeds area, I would definitely recommend a visit to the Leeds Art Gallery and its delightful tearoom.  The threat of tiny men taking over your teacup is minimal.

A Delightful Discovery

Not too long ago I wrote a British Bites post about my recent fixation with cranberry cheese.  I lamented the sore trial I was forced to endure by being 5,000 miles away from the epicenter of cranberry cheese production.  I cried myself to sleep for nights over the loss of my beloved Wensleydale. 

But then...

A miracle occurred.

Today I was pushing a giant cart through the aisles of Costco with my mother when we came to the cheese aisle.  I thought it worthwhile to have a look in the off chance some British dairy was on offer.  And there it was.  Wensleydale cheese with cranberries imported from a Dorsetshire farm.  Well, I snatched that cheese up faster than a cow can moo.  This is indeed a happy, happy day.

Now I can't wait to share this with my family.  As I said in my earlier post, we aren't very adventurous in the dairy department.  My mum is quite keen to try it, but my brother seems appalled by the idea of berries embedded in a wedge of cheese.  I truly hope they enjoy it; if not...well, I guess that means more cheese for me!

British Bites: Cranberry Cheese

I was not the least bit adventurous in the dairy department before I lived in Leeds.  I would eat cheddar, a limited selection of Italian cheeses and there my list would end.  While I wouldn't say I am now a cheese guru by any means, I have tried -- and enjoyed -- a wider variety of cheeses over the past year: goat's cheese, pecorino, brie and feta to name the highlights.  One of my recent discoveries has been Wensleydale cheese with cranberries.  This probably isn't specific to Britain, but it is where I discovered said culinary gem.  And let me tell you, it is addicting.

A large slice of cranberry cheese on buttered toast really hits the spot.  In fact, I could do with some right now.  Unfortunately, it is there while I am here.  Hmm....

Anarchy in the UK

As a follow-up on my thoughts concerning tea fanaticism in England, I wanted to share this laugh-out-loud comic:

Comic by Dagsson

I also came across this brilliant blog post in which the self-proclaimed Amateur Gourment shares a letter he received from an Englishwoman living in New York City.  She abides by strict standards where tea is involved, to say the very least.  Drawing from my own experience I would say that such particularity is not the norm, but it's amusing nonetheless.  

If anybody is keen to try some authentic English tea, might I suggest Whittard of Chelsea?  They carry a variety of black, green, white and fruit teas that they will ship overseas.  I'm especially partial to their instant tea.  It's a powder similar to hot chocolate in packaging and consistency.  It's also very low in caffeine: less than one percent.  My favourite flavours are the cranberry and raspberry and dreamtime.  I often make sure to take some back to the States with me.  It is delish!

Well, dear friends and family, I wish you a wonderful weekend!

British Bites: Tea Time!

I can't get very far with my idea of commenting on English food without addressing the most persistent British stereotype: the preoccupation with tea.  While this isn't strictly a food, it is nevertheless a crucial element of English dietary practices.

As far as I have observed, this hackneyed cultural assumption is full of truth.  I often find that English people are obsessed with tea and manage consumption of it at any time of the day while engaging in any number of activities.  They drink it with breakfast, with biscuits, on its own.  Anytime can be tea time!

One of my university tutors from the past year is undoubtedly addicted to this caffeinated hot beverage.  'I have to have a cup of tea every hour or I start twitching.'  I heard these words from her on more than one occasion.  Imagine my delight when she took a break halfway through my first seminar to boil the kettle and offer a steaming mug of tea to each of the students.  She even had milk and sugar on hand in her office.  Every week followed the same pattern: chat about the specified text, break to put on the kettle, more chatting while we sipped on our tea.  It was wonderful!

 The tea-aholic

I've had other tutors offer tea in seminars but only occasionally.  To be honest it's never quite as good.  Nobody makes tea like the tea-aholic.  (I thought about labelling her a tea-ophile, but this sounds very much like pedophile which would be weird). 

I must confess that this English fixation is contagious.  While I previously disliked tea -- and still maintain a firm distaste for coffee -- I have slowly come around to the idea during the years I've spent here.  Now I enjoy drinking a mug of tea on a cold night while reading a book or watching a movie at home.  As we get further into September those evenings are becoming more frequent.

If you stay in England for long you may find yourself leaving with a supply of Earl Grey.  Consider yourself warned. 

Curling up with a cuppa

P.S.  The image at the top of this post is a 1727 painting: 'A Family of Three at Tea' by Richard Collins (via the Victoria and Albert Museum).  More totally amazing stuff can be found on the museum's website.

British Bites

 

Image via Google

This isn't a food blog for a number of reasons.  Number one: I very rarely cook.  Number two: I don't have the necessary photography equipment to lend any dish I happen to make the appearance of goodness.  Number three:  I very rarely cook.

However, I must say all the stereotypes about bad British food that Americans love to embrace and circulate amongst themselves really, really bother me.  Food in England, for the record, is absolutely delicious.  

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

For evidence of this assertion I shall refer to the fluxuation of my weight that coincides with my time in England.  Move to England: weight goes up.  Move back to the States: weight goes down.  Move back to England: weight magically goes back up again.  There's a definite pattern at work here.   

So, I thought it would be fun to highlight a tasty British Bite every now and again. Consequently, if my fellow Yanks eat poorly if by chance they find themselves in England they will have no one to blame but themselves. 

To get this going I thought I would start with a recipe taken from the Jane Austen cookbook: pigeon pie. 

 Image via Google

First of all, you will need six pigeons that have been plucked and gutted....

Joking.  Blech.

What I really wanted to draw attention to, having a major sweet tooth, is a classic English dessert: the Victoria sponge (pictured above).  It sure is tasty.  Imagine fresh whipped cream and raspberry jam sandwiched between two layers of Madeira sponge cake with powdered sugar dusted on top.  This is what you will get if you ever find yourself ordering a slice of Victoria sponge, and I don't think you will regret it.  If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even whip up your very own sponge cake.  Although, how one would go about converting the measurements into something US-compatible is beyond me.  Like I said, I very rarely cook. 

 Partaking of a slice at the university cafe

Lunch with Jamie Oliver

Confession: I didn't literally have lunch with Jamie Oliver.  Although wouldn't it be cool if I had?  He seems such a jolly fellow.  He does, however, have restaurants scattered all over the UK, and I had a lovely meal there with friends.  If anybody is looking for a good place to eat over here, I give it two utensils up (in lieu of thumbs).

 Outside the restaurant

Amanda and Anna peruse the menus

I ordered lemon and buffalo mozzarella ravioli.

It was delicious!