Victoria Sandwich Cake

Apr 6, 2021

If you’re looking for full throttle cake sumptuousness, you can't really beat a Victoria Sandwich, can you?

And this cake wins hands down.

This minimal (natural) sugar, low carb version has all the creamy, moist, over-the-topness you’d expect from such a cake classic – AND it comes without the toxic sugar downside.  Arguably it also qualifies as part of your 5 a day. Yes that’s right – this cake’s got veg in it! And no - don’t run off! Vegetables really do the most wonderful, miraculous things to a cake sponge, adding lightness and irresistible moistness.

I can’t take credit for this recipe. I’ve adapted the ingredients in a recipe from Annabelle Lee’s*  The Ultimate Grain-free Cookbook to fit my cakey purposes. I’ve added some of the aforementioned vegetables for extra lightness and general gorgeousness and some zero/low sugar natural sweetness.

This recipe is easier to make than you might think at first glance, especially if you've got a food processor to mash down the veg and lob everything in. The jam is simply frozen raspberries with a little ground chia added for substance. The icing is mascarpone - for its flavour, lusciousness and creaminess, with just a little flavour and sweetness blended in.

*If you're also avoiding gluton, carbohydrates or grains, Annabelle Lee is a wonderful find. Amazingly she replicates many of the popular comfort foods that are usually borne out of white wheat flour.

For the cake:
80g almond flour
80g coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
5 eggs
200g sweet potato or butternut squash
200g courgette
70g melted butter
5 tbsp xylitol or erythritol
1 ½ tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp lemon juice

For the icing (enough for the middle layer and topping):
200g cream cheese
80g melted butter
1 ½ tsp vanilla paste
2 tsp ground xylitol (grind the granules until they are icing sugar consistency)

For the jam (enough for the middle layer):
120g frozen raspberries
2 tbsp ground chia seeds.
Optional - a few extra whole raspberries for decoration

In a bowl measure the almond and coconut flour, baking powder and salt and mix together.
Chop the squash and courgette into 1 inch pieces and pop into the food processor, whizzing the veg until crumb sized.
Add the eggs, sweetener, melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice and whizz some more.
Add the dry ingredients to the mix in the blender and whizz again until smooth.
Line the bottom of 2 x 7 inch cake tins and butter the sides.
Turn out the cake batter equally between the 2 cake tins.
Bake in a preheated oven 350F/180C Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes. Or until a knife put in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Cover with foil if the cake starts to brown too much.
Cool in the tins for approximately 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Wait until the sponge is completely cool to add the jam and the icing.

Method for the Jam:
Heat the raspberries on a low heat until the berries defrost and become juicy. Add the chia seeds, stir well and leave to set for an hour.

Method for the icing:
Mix together the cream cheese, ground sweetener and vanilla paste.
Melt the butter and add gradually to the cream cheese until fully blended.
Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes

A final quantity note:
This is quite a substantial cake. And it doesn’t lend itself so easily to freezing in the way that tray bakes do. So for a smaller quantity, try making just one sponge with half the ingredients and adding layers of both the jam and the topping.