Jottage from Lancaster/Cambridge - The Victoria Sponge (Birthday Cake)

There is nothing that John likes more than a nice Victoria Sponge and so the Family Cookbook seemed to provide the answer to provide him with favourite cake all ready for his birthday tomorrow. As Heather, Theo and Tristan are still up for Christmas then it makes sense to celebrate before they go home tomorrow so we decided to get the cake made today then we could all celebrate together tonight.


Heather gathered all the ingredients together on the kitchen table and prepared for making the cake, something she is very good at, but even so she struggled slightly with the complexities of the Family Cookbook - which may well be easy for beginners, but seemed to have a lot of steps for the old hands. Note that the tomato ketchup on the table isn't actually one of the ingredients, but is just still there from last night's Shepherd's Pie (Hugh's Mum's recipe).

She had some trouble with my oven and I couldn't quite work out why I noticed straight away that she had put on the top oven when she meant to put on the main one. More often than not, I do the same and never notice for an hour after I have left maybe a good sized piece of lamb in a cold oven while the top oven is spewing out smoke from the burnt bits that are coating the grill pan I keep in there. However, after a little longer than the recipe called for, these 2 golden rounds of cake appeared.

We had some debate about adding whipped double cream or buttercream along with the jam as a filling, but John loves it just with jam and nothing else, so we stuck to Hugh's instructions faithfully. We have some lovely strawberry jam and of course, as everyone in our family never attains an age over 57, we can use the candles yet again (see Pheasant and Chorizo - birthday celebrations).


And the final filled cake (without the candles) with the cook...

...and the birthday boy cutting it with the musical knife merrily playing 'Happy Birthday to you!'

Now he has a new Kobo and a Bjork app for his iPad to keep him quiet for a few hours.


By common consent the cake was voted about the best ever birthday cake anyone could hope for. Seconds all round!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!!!!!!!!!!!!!