Victoria Sponge Cake

I was watching the Great British Bake off on YT and over the last 2 days the Story of Mary Berry.
What a fascinating lady- the Cake Lady- they call her.
That was the reason to trot out my inner baker. I am not such an enthusiastic baker- except for baking breads, but the sweet stuff and especially filled cakes are not on my list of favourite things to bake.
So I have to bake in regular intervals to keep up with my baking skills. The more often you do it, more confidence you will get.
Mary Berry made one of her classics, the Victoria Sponge Cake.

I have made it before, with a recipe from the Hairy Bikers on their trip to a home economics institution somewhere in the countryside. They started with a hack that I use now when I am baking any kind of sponges, weighting the amount of eggs to use in the mix and adjusting the other ingredients according to it.
That makes sense, because when you had your own hens laying eggs, you seldom had the same sized eggs, not the kind you buy a dozen now at the supermarket all in the same weight. Making sure the sponge had the right consistency, you weighted the eggs before you started.

My first cake tins were rather large, so the cake in the end was a bit flat. But in spring I brought two 18 cm loose bottom cake tins in Exeter for the only reason to make a better Victoria Sponge Cake- and it worked!

recipe:
3 eggs  weight 189 g
185 g self raising flour
185 g soft unsalted butter
185 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 g raspberry jam
150 g fresh raspberries
150 g double cream
icing sugar for sprinkling on top

Cream the butter very light, add sifted icing sugar and beat well. Add the eggs one at the time. Add half the sifted flour first, combine and add the rest.
If the dough is too stiff, add 1 or 2 tbsp of hot water.

Preheat the oven 180 C
Divide the dough in two 18 cm loose bottom cake tins, laid out with baking paper.
Bake for 22 minutes.

Let the cakes cool down, start with the jam and pile the whipped cream on top, add the raspberries and place the second cake on top. Don´t press down to much!
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.