Light as a feather vanilla flavoured sponge with a hidden strawberry jam centre. These delightful Victoria Sponge Cupcakes are topped with sweetened freshly whipped cream.
This is a quick and easy recipe that makes 10 identical cupcakes, perfect for afternoon tea!
Victoria Sponge is a reader's favourite recipe on my website. I can understand why; there's something really lovely about mastering the perfect sponge - one that turns out perfectly every single time.
Now you've mastered the basics, how about turning a traditional Victoria Sandwich recipe into cupcakes? Embrace your inner Mary Berry and make mini cupcake versions from this classic English recipe.
Just as easy as butterfly cupcakes or fairy cakes, these bite-sized treats have a beautifully light and delicious vanilla sponge which works so well with its jam-filled middle.
Jam-filled centre
As for the flavour of jam, I love strawberry but you can go with raspberry if that's your preference. Strawberry and rhubarb would be really nice too.
Buttercream or fresh cream?
I suppose it depends where you fall in the debate of "should Victoria Sponge have buttercream or fresh cream?".
You could absolutely make up a batch of vanilla buttercream instead of using freshly whipped cream.
The choice is yours but I think fresh cream is better and it's so much quicker and easier to do!
How to make them
It's very simple to make Victoria Sponge Cupcakes:
- Cream the butter and sugar until it's pale in colour and very light and fluffy. This will take 3-4 minutes with an electric handheld whisk.
- Add the eggs one at a time until they are fully incorporated. This will take 1-2 minutes with a handheld electric whisk.
- Sieve in the flour and baking powder. Fold it in gently by hand until you can no longer see streaks of flour.
- Add 2 heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture to each cupcake case then bake until the cupcakes are a light golden brown and spring back to the touch.
Coring the cupcakes
Once you've made and cooled the vanilla sponge cupcakes, you'll need to core the centre so that you can add a teaspoon of jam.
You can use a sharp pairing knife to do this or to make it really easy use the round end of a piping nozzle. It's sharp enough to cut a perfect circle out of the cupcakes and just the right size.
Fill each cupcake with a generous teaspoon of strawberry jam. Try and make sure that the jam is level with the top of the cupcake.
Topping and decoration
You could, if you wanted, cut the baked cupcakes in half then spread them with jam and add a dollop of cream.
I prefer them with the whipped cream on top. I wanted them to look like an actual cupcake version of Victoria Sponge instead of a miniature version.
This way, you get an ideal amount of sponge, jam and cream in every single mouthful.
To make the whipped cream, all you need to do is whisk the double cream, vanilla extract and icing sugar together until it's softly whipped and holding its shape.
It's very easy to overwhip cream which doesn't look as nice when you pipe it. My advice is to stop whisking every few seconds so you don't overdo it. Stop whisking just before you think it's ready!
Amy's tip: If you do overwhip your cream and it looks curdled add a splash more double cream or full-fat milk and mix with a spoon until it looks soft again.
I used a large open piping nozzle to get a nice, big and round "blob" on top of each cupcake.
I used a tiny sprinkling of freeze-dried strawberry powder and added a fresh strawberry to each for decoration.
I hope you love making this recipe as much as I did. Victoria Sponge Cupcakes are so delicious!
Please leave me a star rating and let me know how you got on in the comments :)
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A fudgy and moist chocolate cake covered with thick chocolate buttercream icing. This easy traybake is amazing for when you need a birthday or special occassion cake.
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Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
These delightful Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes are super moist and very zingy. Leave them just as they are or top with lemon flavoured buttercream. I guarantee this cupcake recipe will give you perfect results every single time!
Easy Lemon Cake
This Lemon Cake is beautifully soft and is bursting with zingy lemon flavour. The two layers are filled and topped with lemon buttercream and fresh cream swirls.
Victoria Sponge Cupcakes
Light as a feather vanilla flavoured sponge with a hidden strawberry jam centre. These delightful Victoria Sponge Cupcakes are topped with sweetened freshly whipped cream.
Ingredients
Vanilla cupcakes
- 150g (0.50 cup + 3tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 150g (0.75 cup) caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs (weighing approx 150g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g (0.75 cup + 3 tbsp) self-raising flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 10 tsp strawberry jam
To decorate
- 300ml (1.25 cups) double cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional)
- 10 strawberries (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/Gas 4/350ºF Line a muffin tin with 10 large cupcake cases.
- In a mixing bowl, using a handheld electric whisk cream the butter and caster sugar together until it is pale, light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
- Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time. Beat until the eggs are fully incorporated (1-2 minutes). Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Sieve the self-raising flour and baking powder into the mixture. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until you can no longer see white streaks of flour.
- Add 2 heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture to each cupcake case. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 18 minutes or until the cupcakes are light golden brown and spring back when touched with your finger. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, leave them to cool for a couple of minutes then transfer them to a wire rack so they can cool completely.
- When the cupcakes are cool, core the centres with the circular end of a piping nozzle (or use a small sharp knife). Add a generous teaspoonful of jam to each hole.
- Pour the double cream, vanilla and icing sugar into a large bowl. Use a handheld electric whisk to beat the cream until it's softly whipped. It should be holding its shape but take care not to overwhip it.
- Transfer the softly whipped sweetened cream into a piping bag fitted with a large open round nozzle. Pipe the cream on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle over a little freeze-dried strawberry powder and add a strawberry to each cupcake if you wish.
Notes
- Take care not to overmix - when you add the flour, mix by hand and only until you can no longer see white streaks of flour.
- Don't overfill the cupcake cases. This recipe makes 10 large cupcakes and there is enough to add 2 heaped teaspoons of mixture to each cupcake case.
- Use a small pairing knife or circular end of a piping nozzle to core the centres.
- Take care not to overwhip the cream, I recommend you stop every few seconds to check the consistency.
- Victoria Sponge Cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for 2-3 days. The sponge cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g
Nutrition is an estimate only.
Helen
Hi - do you use a standard cake liner or a large?
Thank you.
Helen
Amy Treasure
Hi Helen, My cupcake tin is the Masterclass 12 hole tin and it fits the large cupcake cases. I just measured a cupcake liner and it's 4cm deep with the bottom measuring 5.5cm across. Hope that helps!
Joy D Gnapi
Thx u this recipe is fab