Vintage on line

Did anyone see The Hairy Bakers on BBC 2 last night?
Continuing their journey around the isles to explore our love of baking, last nights show was all about tea time treats.
Yay! I do love tea time treats and love nothing more than baking scones & Victoria Sponge cake and setting a table with a cloth, a full tea pot and our vintage china.

I think my favourite part of the show last night had to be when they infiltrated the WI to bake Victoria Sandwiches in competiton with them and got told off for not abiding by the rules and popping a touch of cinnamon in it and also sneaking vanilla extract into it too! Good heavens boys what were you thinking?!? Tee Hee.
Although I was taken aback by the WI's version of just having raspberry jam in the middle and they skipped on the dusting of icing sugar on top too and plumped for normal caster sugar instead, oooohh ladies!!!

The Hairy Bakers 'version' of the Victoria Sponge looked absolutely delicious and I really must try it.

Here is the recipe for anyone else who wants to give it a whirl.

Ingredients
For the cake
250g/9oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
250g/9oz golden caster sugar
7 free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
400g/14oz self-raising flour

For the butter cream
250g/9oz icing sugar125g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp hot water
1 tsp ground cinnamon

To serve250g/9oz good raspberry jam
icing sugar, for dusting


Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/360F/Gas 4.
2. For the cake, grease two 23cm/9in spring-form cake tins and line with baking parchment.
3. Whisk the butter and the sugar in a bowl, using an electric whisk, until light and creamy for about five minutes(the mixture should be almost white in colour).
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating constantly until completely combined before adding the next egg. If the mixture starts to curdle you can rescue it by sprinkling in a tablespoon or so of the flour.
5. Add the vanilla extract and fold in the flour.
6. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Test the cake is cooked by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes, then remove the cakes from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
8. Meanwhile, for the butter cream, place the icing sugar, softened butter and hot water into a clean bowl. Mix well until completely combined and creamy.
9. Add the cinnamon and mix well.
10. To serve, trim the top off one of the cakes to make a level surface.
11. Spread the raspberry jam over the top of the levelled cake surface, then cover the jam with a layer of the butter cream.
12. Sandwich the second cake on the top and press down lightly.
13. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and serve in generous slices.

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If you missed the show last night but want to see it, it is available online *here* but be quick only 6 days left!