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If there’s one cake recipe everyone should have in their arsenal, it’s my gluten free Victoria sponge recipe. Nothing beats this one-bowl gluten free cake recipe, with two light and fluffy gluten free sponges sandwiching a layer of smooth buttercream and strawberry jam.
A gluten free Victoria sponge is an absolute classic which can be used for a gluten free birthday cake, wedding cake, or as part of an afternoon tea spread.
I have many fond memories of making this gluten free Victoria sponge recipe with my Mum as a kind, so I’m super excited to share it with you!
Apparently, the cake is named a Victoria sponge because Queen Victoria herself was said to enjoy a slice with her afternoon tea.
It’s the perfect accompaniment to a plate of warm gluten free scones or served up with my gluten free lemon drizzle cake or gluten free carrot cake.
Some recipes use fresh cream and you can use this if you prefer. I find buttercream is more to my taste and also gives the cake a bit more longevity.
As a child I used to try find the bit with the most icing sugar on top, so a heavy dusting of icing sugar to finish it off is non-negotiable.
Ingredients
This really is one of the easiest gluten free cake recipes out there, with minimal ingredients.
There’s a full printable recipe card down below with the method, but for the shopping list you’ll need:
- Caster Sugar – In the US you’ll want to look for Baker’s Sugar for this recipe.
- Stork Baking Spread – I always find I get much better results using this in cakes and it also makes the sponge dairy free. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Plain Gluten Free Flour – I always use the FREEE Plain Gluten Free Flour as it’s available in most UK supermarkets. Any plain gluten free flour blend should work – in the US you’ll want an All Purpose gluten free flour.
- Baking Powder – Always ensure your baking powder is gluten free as some are not safe. If you prefer to use a self-raising gluten free flour instead of plain, you only need to add 1 tsp of baking powder to the mixture.
- Xanthan Gum – A little goes a long way! This helps to replicate the texture of the gluten. Omit it if you cannot tolerate it (or if your flour mix already contains it) but you may find the cake a little more crumbly in texture if there is none in your flour mix.
- Eggs – This recipe uses large UK eggs – so you’ll need XL eggs in the US.
- Milk – I use milk to help loosen the cake batter a little. If making this recipe dairy free you can replace this with a dairy free milk of choice.
For the buttercream filling you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter – This is for the buttercream filling and it’s important to ensure it is at room temperature! If making this recipe dairy free, use a vegan butter of choice.
- Icing Sugar – or in the US you may find it is called Confectioner’s Sugar instead. You need this for the buttercream plus extra for dusting.
- Vanilla Extract – essential for adding a lovely flavour to the buttercream.
- Strawberry Jam – If you prefer you can use a different flavour jam such as raspberry, apricot, plum or blackcurrant. Any flavour jam works well!
How to make a gluten free Victoria Sponge
Making this gluten free Victoria Sponge cake recipe is so simple – I’ve even included some step-by-step photos below.
To make my gluten free Victoria Sponge cake recipe:
Preheat the oven to 1809’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm (8 inch) round baking tins (see below for how to line your tins).
Mix the gluten free flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together in a bowl and set to one side.
Add the caster sugar and Stork to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a minute until creamed together.
Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and then sift in the flour mix. Beat again with the electric whisk until the mixture has combined to form a smooth batter.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and smooth out the tops. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.
To assemble the cake:
Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Leave to stand until the tins are cool enough to remove, then remove the tins and leave the sponge to cool completely.
To make your icing, add the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk to a large mixing bowl and beat together until it forms a smooth buttercream.
Use a cake-leveller to flatten the bottom sponge, and then spread evenly with the jam. Turn the other sponge upside-down and spread the buttercream in a thick, even layer over the flat side.
Sandwich the two sponges together with the cream and jam in the middle. Sprinkle liberally with icing sugar and serve straight away.
Recipe Tip
The golden rule of baking cakes is never open the oven door before they’re ready!
With these sponges you want to give them at least 30 minutes before you open the door to check them – and only then if you’re sure they’re baked.
If you’re unsure then give them a few more minutes, as opening the oven door too soon will result in a sunken cake.
How to line a cake tin using a cartouche
To line my cake tin for a Victoria Sponge, I always make a cartouche from baking paper (step-by-step photos below!). To make a cartouche:
- Take a square of baking paper, then fold it in half, and in half again so you have a square.
- Next, fold this in half again from the corner so that it becomes a triangle, and then repeat again.
- Hold this triangle over the top of the baking tin, so that the centre is in line with the centre of the tin.
- Trim the large end at an angle just wider than the edge of the cake tin and unfold – you should have a circle which is just larger than the base of the tin.
- Press the circle into the bottom of the cake tin, so that when you remove the paper, you can clearly see the outline of the base.
- Then at 1-inch intervals, snip the excess in towards the base all around the edge.
- When you grease your baking tin and place the cartouche back into the bottom, the edges should neatly fold up the side of the tin.
Freezing and Storing
Once baked, this cake can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week (less if you use fresh cream as the filling).
If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend making the cakes and cooling them completely. Then wrap in clingfilm before freezing on a flat surface.
You can then defrost them and decorate when ready.
If you have any leftover slices you can also freeze them between squares of baking paper so they don’t stick together. Defrost and eat whenever you fancy some cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we get cracking, here are the answers to some questions I get asked a lot about my gluten free Victoria sponge…
Most cakes are made with wheat flour, so unless specifically labelled as ‘gluten free’ or ‘free from’, Victoria Sponge will not be gluten free. However, this recipe is 100% gluten free and coeliac-safe and very easy to make. The gluten-eaters won’t even realise it’s gluten free!
I have tried and tested numerous combinations for this cake and I actually get the best results using Stork Baking Spread instead of butter. It makes the cake much lighter and fluffier and I also think it keeps for longer as well.
You can easily make this gluten free Victoria sponge completely dairy free with a few swaps. Simply use a dairy free milk such as almond, coconut or gluten free oat milk in place of normal milk. For the frosting I’d recommend using Stork baking block – but any dairy free or vegan spread should work as well as butter.
In terms of making this cake recipe vegan, I have not tried this myself and 5 eggs is quite a lot to replace, so I’m not sure how well a straight swap would work with an egg replacer. If you do try a vegan version of this though, please let me know in the comments so I can share what works!
This recipe uses xanthan gum and it’s important to measure it out correctly because a little goes a long way. If you use too much, the cake batter will become gummy and try to climb up the mixer! Double check if your gluten free flour contains xanthan gum – if it does then you can omit the extra in this recipe.
If using gluten free self-raising flour, this is more likely to contain it than gluten free plain flour. You only need 1/4 of a teaspoon in this recipe which is plenty!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Victoria Sponge
Ingredients
- 250 g plain gluten free flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 250 g caster sugar
- 250 g Stork Baking Spread
- 5 large eggs
- 3 tbsp milk
For the filling:
- 100 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3-4 tbsp good quality strawberry jam
- Icing sugar, to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160'C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm (8 inches) round baking tins (see blog post above for details on how to line your tins). Mix the gluten free flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together in a bowl and set to one side.
- Add the caster sugar and Stork to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a minute until creamed together.
- Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and then sift in the flour mix. Beat again with the electric whisk until the mixture has combined to form a smooth batter.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and smooth out the tops. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. *Do NOT open the oven before 30 minutes and hold off until you know the cakes are done, otherwise they will sink!
- Remove the cakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Leave to stand until the tins are cool enough to remove, then remove the tins and leave the sponge to cool completely. (See notes if you're making the sponge ahead of time)
To assemble:
- To make your icing, add the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk to a large mixing bowl and beat together until it forms a smooth buttercream.
- Use a cake-leveller to flatten the bottom sponge, and then spread evenly with the jam. Turn the other sponge upside-down and spread the buttercream in a thick, even layer over the flat side. Sandwich the two sponges together with the cream and jam in the middle.
- Sprinkle liberally with icing sugar and serve straight away.
Video
Notes
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups – I have weighed each item individually to ensure the conversion is accurate as possible. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how to make this Victoria sponge and how to line your cake tin properly using a cartouche.
- Storing, Making Ahead and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on how to make this cake ahead of time and how to freeze any leftovers.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Victoria Sponge!
Nutrition
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What is stork?
It’s a type of margarine, 80% vegetable fat.
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