Close-up of sponge cake squares filled with jam and cream on a wooden board, capturing the classic charm of a traditional Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe. The word “Recipe” is written across the image, while a glass jar and ramekin from The St. James Tearoom are blurred in the background.
May 31, 2022

Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe

The St. James Tearoom

The Victoria Sandwich Cake is perhaps the most historical of all afternoon tea sandwiches and our version is just as delicious as ever!
When Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford and good friend of Queen Victoria, began taking tea with friends in the afternoon, she unwittingly started a charming trend that still lives on today. It is said that Queen Victoria’s favorite afternoon tea treat was a simple, layered vanilla sponge cake filled with strawberry preserves and cream. Try our version of the cake, which pairs perfectly with our “Duchess of Bedford” tea!

Six small Victoria Sandwich Cake sandwiches with cream and jam filling sit on a silver tray. In the background are pink teacups, saucers, and a teapot, all arranged on a white tablecloth for afternoon tea at The St. James Tearoom.

Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
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Ingredients Instructions

Ingredients
  

For the Cake:
  • 1 ½ sticks butter room temp.
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
For the Filling:
  • ¾ cup good quality strawberry or raspberry jam
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a standard loaf pan (8.5” x 4.5”).
  2. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until slightly fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until well-blended. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed just until well-combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Spread the batter in the loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick and bake longer if it doesn’t come out clean.
  4. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
  5. When ready to fill, cut the cake into slices and set aside into sets of two slices each.
  6. Whip the cream, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt in a mixer until stiff peaks forms.
  7. Spread one piece of cake with jam. Top with a ½-inch thick layer of whipped cream. Place another slice of cake on top, creating a cake sandwich. Repeat with remaining slices. Cut each cake “sandwich” in half. You can cut off the “crusts” to form perfect squares if you like.
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Decorative horizontal divider with ornate, symmetrical swirls in the center and small round accents at each end—perfect for elegantly separating sections in your favorite Tea Sandwich Recipe.

Tea Recommendations:

We recommend you serve this afternoon tea recipe with the following loose leaf teas.

Duchess of Bedford

velvety raspberry black tea

Order in Our Online Tea Shop

Lady Londonderry

strawberry black tea

Order in Our Online Tea Shop

Moonlight Parade

delicate fruit herbal tea

Order in Our Online Tea Shop
Six small Victoria Sandwich Cake sandwiches with cream and jam filling sit on a silver tray. In the background are pink teacups, saucers, and a teapot, all arranged on a white tablecloth for afternoon tea at The St. James Tearoom.

We hope you enjoy this historical Victoria Cake Sandwich recipe as much as we do!