Victoria Sponge with Homemade Raspberry Jam, Vanilla Chantilly and Strawberries

Method

1. Start with the jam. Put a small plate in the freezer. Put the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a 16 cm saucepan over medium heat and boil for 7 min, crushing the fruit, until a drop on the cold plate wrinkles when pushed with a finger. Transfer to a bowl, cool, then chill. Hot jam burns badly, so don't taste it from the pan.

   Add in this stepRaspberries (fresh or frozen) 100 gSugar (for the jam) 60 gLemon juice 1 tsp

   medium heat

2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) for 15 min. Butter two 2 × 15 cm round tins and line the bases and sides with baking paper.

   Add in this stepButter, for greasing 5 g

   oven

3. Beat the soft butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 5 min, until almost white, very light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl once or twice. This step is what gives a really light sponge.

   Add in this stepButter, at room temperature (a finger leaves a dent) 110 gCaster sugar 110 g

4. Beat the room-temperature eggs with half the vanilla and add them a spoonful at a time, beating until fully emulsified after each addition. Cold eggs harden the butter and make it split, so make sure they are at room temperature.

   Add in this stepEggs, at room temperature 2Vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) ½ tsp

5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together twice, add them and fold in gently with a spatula, then fold in the milk until smooth. Weigh the batter into the two tins exactly and spread it with a slight dip in the centre so the sponges bake flat.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 110 gBaking powder 1 tspSalt 1 pinchMilk 1 tbsp

6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18 min, until springy, a skewer comes out clean and the edges are just pulling away from the tin. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely for 30 min. If the tops are domed, level them with a bread knife.

   oven

7. Put the cold cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and remaining vanilla in a cold bowl and whisk for 2 min, stopping at soft peaks. The mascarpone stabilises the cream so it doesn't ooze out. Hull the strawberries and slice them 5 mm thick.

   Add in this stepDouble (heavy) cream, cold 120 mlMascarpone, cold 40 gIcing sugar (for the cream) 2 tbspVanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) ½ tspStrawberries 120 g

8. Spread the jam over the bottom sponge, stand strawberry slices around the edge with the cut side facing out and fill the middle with the rest. Pipe or spoon over the cream, put the top sponge on and press gently. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

   Add in this stepIcing sugar, for dusting 1 tsp