Victoria Sponge Cakes with Elderflower Glaze
By Ashley Cuoco of Cuoco Contento
Victoria Sponge Cakes with Elderflower Glaze
By Ashley Cuoco of Cuoco Contento
Yield/Serves:
Makes 18 mini cakes
- For the cakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup pure cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Raspberry jam
- 1-pint fresh raspberries
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- For the Glaze:
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 elderflower tea bags
- Juice of half a lemon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the inside cups of a nonstick mini cheesecake pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on high speed until stiff. Transfer to a small bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each new addition.
Add almond extract. Gently fold in egg whites.
Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Distribute the cake batter evenly between the cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
While cakes cool, prepare the glaze. In a small sauce pan, heat milk over medium-low heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove pan from the heat and steep tea bags in milk for 20 minutes. Allow the milk to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk tea-infused milk, sugar, butter and lemon juice on medium speed until smooth. If glaze is too thick to pour, add milk by the teaspoon until desired consistency is reached. Glaze should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, yet thin enough to pour.
Use a serrated knife to cut each cake in half. Spread a generous spoonful of jam on one cake round. Top with the second round. Pour about a tablespoon of glaze on top of each cake. Top with a raspberry and dust with powdered sugar.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on high speed until stiff. Transfer to a small bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each new addition.
Add almond extract. Gently fold in egg whites.
Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
Distribute the cake batter evenly between the cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
While cakes cool, prepare the glaze. In a small sauce pan, heat milk over medium-low heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove pan from the heat and steep tea bags in milk for 20 minutes. Allow the milk to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk tea-infused milk, sugar, butter and lemon juice on medium speed until smooth. If glaze is too thick to pour, add milk by the teaspoon until desired consistency is reached. Glaze should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, yet thin enough to pour.
Use a serrated knife to cut each cake in half. Spread a generous spoonful of jam on one cake round. Top with the second round. Pour about a tablespoon of glaze on top of each cake. Top with a raspberry and dust with powdered sugar.