My Victoria Sandwich (with Jelly Baby Guards)

History : This, as you might guess, was named after Queen Victoria who was partial to a slice with her afternoon tea.

Recipe (taken from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess)

Ingredients For Cake

225g (8oz) unsalted butter (it has to be soft)

225g (8oz) caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

200g self-raising flour

25g cornflour

3-4 tablespoons milk

2 x 21cm sandwich tins (line them)

Ingredients for the filling

Raspberry jam

142ml double cream

Method

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4). Line your tins if they are not the loose-bottomed type.

- Cream butter and sugar until pale.

- Add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, adding a great big spoonful of flour between each. Fold in the flour and the cornflour. Add the milk and fold in again.

- Pour into the cake tins and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cakes are springy to the touch. Poke in a cake-tester to make sure it comes out clean.

- Leave the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in their tins before turning out onto a wire rack until cooled completely.

- When you are ready to serve the cake. Put a layer on the plate, right way up,
and spread generously with the jam.

- Whip up the cream until thickened but still soft and spread it over the jam. Sit the other layer of cake on top and sprinkle a tablespoon or so of caster sugar.