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This mini Victoria sponge cake recipe features golden, buttery sponges sandwiched with vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam for a classic afternoon tea party treat that’s as easy to make as cupcakes! They’re also the perfect spring and summer dessert for any seasonal celebration or gathering.
If you’re looking for a pretty little treat that’s perfect for spring and summer and fit for royalty, you found it. These cupcake-sized Victoria sandwich cakes are sophisticated enough for a tea party, but easy enough for a birthday party. And if you need a potluck dessert, this is a great option.
I made these for a very special occasion: Mother’s Day.
A Mother’s Day Tea Party
Mother’s Day has always meant so much to me. I started my blog back in May 2009 because of my Mother’s Day tradition for my mom. (If you’re interested, you can read my very first post which talks about it, and yes, feel free to laugh at my photography, lol!)
This year I’ve been planning a Mother’s Day Downton Abbey-themed afternoon tea for my grandmother and her friends. And I think I’m just as excited about it as she is! It was completely coincidental, but the timing was pretty perfect with the king’s recent coronation.
For our tea party, we’re going the whole nine yards. Our afternoon tea will be complete with scones, finger sandwiches (coronation chicken salad finger sandwiches were the favorite!), pastries and petit fours, and a selection of teas. We’ll be having tea in the garden (the lilacs will be in bloom just in time!), and I asked all the ladies to wear a hat if they have one. And delicately wrapped in a to-go box, these mini Victoria sponges will be the party favor for the guests to take home.
This classic British cake is made of buttery golden sponge cakes sandwiched with sweetened whipped cream and jam. Here we use a filling of vanilla buttercream (which is a bit more decadent and holds up a little better than whipped cream) and raspberry jam.
Mini Victoria sandwich cakes are not only fit for royalty, but they are also ridiculously easy to make. And I have to say, they are the perfect elegant treat. My grandmother, aka “Lady Barbara”, will absolutely love them!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Elegant, but easy. As pretty as these little cakes are, they are as easy as making muffins or cupcakes.
- Versatile. They’re a traditional treat at afternoon tea, but they’re also perfect for birthday parties, classroom parties, Mother’s Day brunch, or anytime you need a delicious individual-sized dessert.
- Customizable. If you don’t feel like making buttercream frosting, you can use whipped cream instead. And if raspberry jam isn’t your thing, go with traditional strawberry jam, or go wild and crazy and use whatever your favorite flavor is! Blueberry is also absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Mini Sponge Cake Ingredients
- Flour – we use all-purpose flour as the base for these mini sponges
- Baking powder – one of the leavening agents for our cake
- Salt – to enhance the flavor
- Baking soda – another leavening agent in this recipe
- Unsalted butter – for rich flavor and golden color
- Sugar – we use regular granulated white sugar as the sweetener
- Eggs – to emulsify the batter, lend structure, and provide lift to help prevent the cake from being too dense
- Vanilla – for flavor and aroma
Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – make sure it’s at room temperature; or you can use salted butter and omit the added salt
- Heavy whipping cream – for creamy texture
- Vanilla – for flavor and aroma
- Powdered sugar – provides sweetness and structure to this American-style buttercream
- Salt – for flavor; or you can omit the salt if you’re using salted butter
Other Ingredients
- Butter and flour – for the cake pan (here we’re using a regular-sized muffin pan for our mini Victoria sponge cakes)
- Raspberry jam – or strawberry jam, or whatever your favorite type of jam is
- Powdered sugar – for dusting the tops of the cakes
How to Make Classic Victoria Sponge Cake as Cupcakes (It’s Easy!)
Here are step-by-step photos of the cooking process. For the recipe video, please see the recipe card below.
1: Make the Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes
- Use a handheld electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Continuing beating until the mixture turns pale yellow and thickens.
- Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined, being careful not to over-mix.
- The batter will be quite thick.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin wells, evening out the tops with a spoon as best you can.
- Bake until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 350F oven.
2: Make the Buttercream Filling
- While the cakes are cooking, make the buttercream filling. Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
- Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
3: Assemble the Victoria Sandwiches
- Once cooled, slice each cake in half horizontally.
- Dollop or pipe the buttercream onto the cut side of each cake.
- Spoon or pipe about 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam on top of the buttercream on each cake.
- Place the top of each cake sandwich on top. Dust the tops with powdered sugar.
Storage: How Long Will Victoria Sponge Stay Fresh?
Store these cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove them from the fridge 1 hour before serving so the buttercream can soften.
Does Victoria Sponge Need to be Refrigerated?
Once you fill the Victoria sandwiches with whipped cream or buttercream, yes, they need to be refrigerated.
However, if you hold off on filling them, you can store the mini sponges in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days before filling.
Can You Freeze Mini Victoria Sponges?
Yes! You can freeze these before filling them.
To do so, let the Victoria sponge cupcakes cool to room temperature, then layer them between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Subsequently, when you want to serve them, let them thaw to room temperature, and then slice them horizontally and fill them with whipped cream (or buttercream) and jam.
Expert Tips For the Best Victoria Sponge Cake
- The batter will be quite thick, which is normal. Don’t be tempted to add more liquid, and definitely don’t over-mix.
- If you don’t feel like making vanilla buttercream, you can use whipped cream in the filling instead. (Stabilized whipped cream is better if you don’t plan on serving the cakes immediately.)
- Instead of raspberry jam, feel free to use strawberry jam or your favorite flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
A sponge cake is a type of foam cake. Other examples of foam cakes include angel food cake, chiffon cake, génoise cake, and dacquoise cake.
These cakes are made by whipping eggs with sugar, and then folding in flour. Sometimes they contain only egg whites, and depending on the cake, some also include egg yolk(s).
Foam cakes, including sponge cakes, use eggs to provide structure and rise (the eggs act as a leavening agent). They typically don’t contain additional fat, such as oil or butter.
Other types of cakes (which are sometimes referred to as butter cakes), use flour as their main structure and chemical leavening agents (such as baking powder or baking soda) instead of eggs. These cakes contain butter and/or oil.
The history of Victoria sponge cake is quite interesting. You might be thinking to yourself that if a sponge cake typically doesn’t contain added fat, such as butter, why is there butter in Victoria sponges?
Before the Victoria sandwich cake as we know it was born, sponge cakes didn’t include butter. However, during the Victorian Era, English food manufactured Alfred Bird created baking powder in 1843. Because baking powder (a leavening agent) helps cakes rise, it allowed cakes to include butter, which resulted in richer cakes. And thus, the Victorian sponge cake was born.
Classic Victoria sponge, which is also called a Victoria sandwich, is a traditional bake and an essential component of a proper afternoon tea. According to The Royal Household, it was one of Queen Victoria’s favorites and she enjoyed a slice of it with her afternoon tea every day. Since then, it’s been a beloved tea time treat.
For more information on the history of Victoria sponge cake, check out Wikipedia and Anges de Sucre.
This question is apparently the topic of some debate!
According to British Corner Shop (who quoted the Women’s Institute), raspberry jam is the classic filling. Other people say strawberry jam is the traditional filling. And Taste Atlas says that you can use raspberry or strawberry jam.
The bottom line: use whatever type of jam you fancy to make these mini sponges the way you like them.
More Teatime Treats to Make
- Apple Pie French Macarons
- Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
- Savory Scones with Scallion and Cheese
- Cherry Vanilla Sour Cream Scones
- Savory Cheddar Garlic Sourdough Discard Biscuits
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Mini Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
Mini Sponge Cakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream (see Notes):
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Other:
- Butter and flour for the cake pan
- 10 tablespoons raspberry jam or strawberry jam (or slightly more as needed)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting on top
Instructions
For the Cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour 10 wells in a muffin pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Use a handheld electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, continuing to beat until the mixture turns pale yellow and thickens. Beat in the dry ingredients just until combined, being careful not to over-mix. (The batter will be thick.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin wells, evening out the tops with a spoon as best you can.
- Bake until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the baking pan, and then run a paring knife along the outside of each cake to help remove them. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cooled, slice each cake in half horizontally.
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- While the cakes are cooking, make the buttercream filling.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag.
To Assemble:
- Dollop or pipe the buttercream onto the cut side of each cake.
- Spoon or pipe about 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam on top of the buttercream on each cake.
- Place the top of each cake sandwich on top.
- Dust the tops with powdered sugar.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Store these cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove them from the fridge 1 hour before serving so the buttercream can soften.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these before filling. To do so, let the Victoria sponge cupcakes cool to room temperature, then layer them between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you want to serve them, let them thaw to room temperature, and then slice them horizontally and fill them with whipped cream (or buttercream) and jam.
- Vanilla Buttercream: If you prefer, you can skip the buttercream and use whipped cream instead.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
Faith, I just had your grandmother watch the video and read this blog post, and she’s just about crying! But what she said was nothing short of hilarious! She said: “I love watching other people cook!” 😂🥹🥰💖
Gorgeous mini Victoria sponges, and who knew they were so easy to make?! And I think it’s wonderful that you want to honor your grandmother so beautifully! Well done, Faith! 🥹🥰