Raspberry & Rose Victoria Sponge

The finest Victoria sponge using Marriage’s finest flour. Filled with a fresh raspberry and rose jam and whipped cream, topped with pink icing, and dried rose petals for a decadent afternoon tea treat. Taste the rose water levels in the jam and icing and go steady, a little goes a long way.

INGREDIENTS

225g Finest Self Raising White flour

225g soft unsalted butter

225g + 2 tbsp caster sugar

4 medium eggs

2 tbsp milk

200g raspberries

¼-1/2 tsp rose water + drop for icing

200ml double cream

200g + 1 tbsp icing sugar

A few drops pink food colouring

1 tbsp dried rose petals

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

Electric whisk, 2 x 20cm sandwich tins, piping bag and wide fluted nozzle

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Base line two sandwich tins with baking paper.
2. Beat 225g sugar and the butter together until pale and creamy, for about 5 mins. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition, then fold in the flour and milk until you make a smooth, thick batter. Divide the batter between the two tins, smooth out the surface, then bake for 25-30 mins until golden and springs back when pressed. Remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
3. Put 200g raspberries and 2 tbsp caster sugar in a pan over a medium-high heat and simmer for 6-8 mins until the raspberries break down and thicken to form a jam. Stir in the rose water. Leave to cool and taste, add a drop more rose water if required.
4. Whisk the cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar until you form soft peaks. Spoon the cream into a piping bag with a wide fluted nozzle. Put one sponge cake on a plate or stand, and spoon over the raspberry jam, smoothing out to the edges. Pipe over the cream to create a thick layer (or dollop and spread if you prefer). Add the second sponge over the top, upside down, to create a flat top.
5. Mix 200g icing sugar with a drop of food colouring and 1-1 1/2 tbsp water to make a thick pink icing that just falls of the spoon. Add a drop of rose water for an extra floral flavour. Spoon over the top of the sponge and spread out to the sides with the back of a spoon. Scatter with the rose petals to serve.

RECIPE TIP For a quick teatime treat, fill the Victoria sponge with readymade jam, stirring in the rose extract, or swap for lemon curd and spoon over some passion fruit and top with desiccated coconut for a tropical twist.