Victoria Sponge Bundt Cake

I had always been intrigued, possibly intimidated by the beautiful cakes produced by Bundt pans. Recently I found 2 Nordic Ware Anniversary pans (3 cup and a 6 cup) and I could not resist the temptation.

The 3 cup Anniversary pan, is small, dinky and unusually very light for a cake pan. The was my second bundt cake, my first was the Orange Bundt Cake. Not only was I blown away by the simplicity of preparing the pan and the removal of the cake. I was captivated by its natural beauty, the cake was exquisite. 

If you have not used a bundt pan before, give it a go. You too will be in awe. 

Cake Ingredients

3 Cup Bundt Pan, weigh 2 eggs (approx. 120g)

2 eggs weighed in the shells 121g

Weight of the eggs in caster sugar 121g 

Weight of the eggs in self raising flour 121g (extra for dusting the pan)

Weight of the eggs in unsalted butter (room temperature) 121g (extra melted butter for greasing the pan)

Method

Prep time 10 mins. Cooking time 30-35 mins.

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Prepare your bundt tin, click here for a demonstration.

2. Weigh 2 free range eggs(approx 120g). Then weigh the same quantities of caster sugar, unsalted butter and self raising flour.

3. Cream your caster sugar and butter on a medium speed, until pale in colour, mousse like in texture and increased in volume. Intermittently scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Once creamed, add the eggs 1 at a time, ensuring the egg is fully incorporated before adding the second. You may notice the mixture has started to curdle (this is normal, it may occur when the eggs and butter are at different temperatures). You can increase the speed of the mixer, this will help to emulsify the mix or simply wait for the addition of the flour.

5. Add the flour, and mix on a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all of the flour is fully combined. Scrape all the way down to the base of the bowl (do not over beat the cake batter, this may result in a tough crumb texture).

6. Add the mixture one spoon at a time to your prepared bundt tin (avoid scraping the sides of the pan).  Using a cranked spatula or the back of a spoon, lightly tease out the cake batter to the edge of the pan.

5. Add the flour, and mix on a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all of the flour is fully combined. Scrape all the way down to the base of the bowl (do not over beat the cake batter, this may result in a tough crumb texture).

5. Add the flour, and mix on a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all of the flour is fully combined. Scrape all the way down to the base of the bowl (do not over beat the cake batter, this may result in a tough crumb texture).

6. Add the mixture one spoon at a time to your prepared bundt pan (avoid scraping the sides of the pan).  Using a cranked spatula or the back of a spoon, lightly tease out the cake batter to the edge of the pan.

7. Place the filled bundt pan in the center of a flat tray, then place on the middle shelf of your preheated oven. Bake for 32-35 minutes until your cake is golden brown, springs back to the touch and a skewer is removed from the cake clean. You will also notice your kitchen is filled with a beautiful aroma. Important whilst your cake is baking, have a wire rack on the bench with a tea towel ready to be immersed in hot water and rung out. Once you have confirmed the cake is cooked, simply immerse the tea towel in hot water, squeeze out the excess water and place the bundt tin on the wet tea towel. You will hear a hissing sound from the heat, you may also see some steam from under the rack. Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes (place a timer on).

8. Move the tea towel to the side and gently invert your pan onto the wire rack. Be cautious , my cake slipped straight out.  I imagine if you tried to invert the cake from a height the cake might crack with the fall, so stay close to the rack!

9. Leave the cake to cool down. If your cake is uneven on the base, place the cake back into the clean bundt pan and using a serrated edge knife use the lip of the bundt pan as a guide to trim the top of the cake. Then remove the cake from the tin, again using the serrated knife slice the cake through the middle from side to side (if you have a tendency to cut on an angle you can scribe a line on the side of the cake to ensure you re-stack the cake correctly).

10. Fill with raspberry jam (or your choice of filling), spreading the jam to the sides evenly. Line the roof of the cake up and gently place (I like to add the jam ONLY whilst the cake is slightly warm, this helps fuse the cakes together as the jam becomes tacky. You cannot add other fillings whilst the cake is warm.

11. Then dust with a light drizzle of caster sugar and enjoy! Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Serve 6-8 slices

Top Tips

• Use a good quality butter, it will give your cake body, texture and most importantly flavour.
• Place your bundt pan on a flat baking tray to ensure your cake bakes level.
• Trimming the the base of the cake may result in the cake drying out, only trim the cake if necessary.