I compared Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge to Nigella's - 1 was more work and tasted awful

Victoria sponge cake, also known as a Victoria sandwich, is one of the UK’s most popular cakes. It typically has a layer of jam and buttercream or fresh cream in the middle. The sponge is supposed to be super light and fluffy, while the jam helps to add a tang.

There are so many recipes online to follow, all with different ingredients and techniques, but I decided to try two of the most popular recipes out there, Mary Berry’s and Nigella Lawson’s . I’ve baked Mary Berry ’s version many times over the years, and so I was intrigued to see how it could compare to Nigella Lawson’s. They’re both quite similar, but Nigella’s adds cornflour as an extra ingredient, which is thought to help the texture.



Ingredients: Four free-range eggs 225g caster sugar 225g self-raising flour Two teaspoons of baking powder 225g baking butter To serve: Raspberry jam Whipped double cream Ingredients: For the cake: 225g baking butter 225g caster sugar One teaspoon of vanilla extract 200g plain flour 25g cornflour Two and a half teaspoons of baking powder A pinch of salt Four large eggs Two to three tablespoons of milk To serve: 75g raspberry jam 150g fresh raspberries 150ml double cream I made both of the cakes in the same way, creaming the butter and sugar together first, then adding the eggs before putting all of the dry ingredients in, and mixing it together. I used eight-inch (20cm) sandwich tins, both lined with baking paper and greased with butter, to ensure an even distribution of the ingredients. They were baked in a preheated oven at 160C for around 20 to 25 minutes, and I then left both of them to cool fully before building them.

I placed the jam on one cake, spread it on the whipped double cream and then placed the top of the cake on before dusting it with icing sugar. Mary Berry ’s recipe produced a super soft sponge, light and fluffy and it melted in the mouth. The jam and cream really complimented the sponge, and overall, it was super tasty.

Nigella’s recipe resulted in a much denser sponge, and despite combining everything fully like I always do, pockets of baking powder remained in the sponge, providing an awful taste. A simple sponge should also require few ingredients, and I found Nigella's to have too many, which weren't needed. I followed the instructions exactly but just preferred the outcome of Mary Berry ’s sponge so will continue to make this bake.

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