It’s time for cake. Mini cakes. Mini Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Cakes.
Mini-mouthfuls in more ways than one.
This recipe came about thanks to two other recipes that you’ve seen here before. First, last year’s Mother’s Day white chocolate lavender cake. Second, those earl grey blueberry muffins from not that long ago that were just fabulous for breakfast, or brunch, a shower or a Tuesday. I combined the two very good ideas to make something equally as wonderful as the sum of its parts. Perfect for Mother’s Day. This weekend, in case you needed reminding. It’s also wedding season and hey, a Royal Baby was born this week. Lots of reasons to eat cake. As if you needed one.
Mom and I love a good Victoria Sponge. I think it’s because we both wish were were Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess deep in our souls. We love tea parties and fancy hats and the propriety that comes from making an occasion out of the three o’clock snack. This cake, though, is all simplicity. A few ingredients, carefully weighed and baked, sparsely decorated with bits and bobs that you likely already have in your house.
As I’ve described here before, I put the cake together as we do: weigh on a scale the eggs, and then put in equal amounts of butter, sugar and self-rising flour. Vanilla for flavor and ground earl grey for more finish it off in a lovely way. Filled with your favorite jam and garnished with your favorite berries makes this suitable for any whim or preference. The whipped cream is also simple: just a touch of sugar, vanilla and more ground tea. It really doesn’t need more than that.
I baked this in a sheet pan with edges much like the way you’d make a jelly roll sponge. I made two different sizes of cakes using my biscuit cutters. If you like, feel free to make this into a whole cake instead of minis. But I just loved the mini-ness of this for this go-round.
I mean, really, who doesn’t love a mini-cake? That’s what I thought.
Mini Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Cakes
Mini Earl Grey Victoria Sponge cakes are flavored with real Earl Grey, and are covered in an Earl Grey whipped cream, sandwiched with mixed berry jam.
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 jumbo eggs (164 grams)
- 12 TB unsalted butter (164 grams)
- 1 cup plus 2 TB sugar (164 grams)
- 1 cup plus 1 TB self-rising flour (164 grams)
- 1 tsp ground earl grey tea leaves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For the frosting:
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 1 3/4 tsp ground earl grey tea leaves (more or less to taste)
- 4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup favorite jam
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3 One at a time, add the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla.
- Step 4 Add the flour, a bit at a time, blending after each addition. Careful to not overmix! Add the tea powder.
- Step 5 Spread the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Spread the batter into a thin layer, about 1/2 inch thick. The batter may not spread all the way to the edge of the pan, so if that is the case, use a loaf pan or another oven-safe pan to create a false edge.
- Step 6 Bake for 10-12 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing it to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
- Step 7 While the cake is cooling, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks. Add the sugar, tea and vanilla and set aside.
- Step 8 Once the cake has cooled, using a 2″ biscuit cutter, cut cake into rounds.
- Step 9 Assemble the cakes by layering whipped cream and jam in between two rounds and coat each with whipped cream. Repeat until the rounds are all used up.
