Mini Victoria sponge cakes

My friend Liz is getting married on Saturday, and tonight had a hen night for lots of friends and family back in Penarth from all over the world.  I made some little Victoria sponge cakes for the celebration - a festive welcome back to the UK and congratulations to Liz!

Ingredients

6 oz margarine

6 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

6 oz self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling

150 ml double cream

3 tbsp icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp raspberry/ strawberry jam

Fresh strawberries, sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Grease 18 silicon cupcake moulds.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl or jug, beat the eggs thoroughly.
4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition (this should stop it from curdling).
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder from high above the bowl, about a quarter of the flour at a time, and then use a large metal spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones so that you keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
6. Divide the mixture between the prepared moulds and bake for about 15-20 mins until springy when gently touched and a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Remove from the moulds and leave to cool on to a wire cooling rack.
8. While the cakes are cooling, whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence until nice and thick.
9. Place the strawberry jam in a small saucepan and heat gently until runny.
10. Once the cakes have cooled completely, slice them each in half.
11. Spread the jam over the bottom half of each cake and top with sliced strawberries.
12. Spread the other half of each cake with whipped cream and then sandwich on top of the strawberry half.  

Sift a little icing sugar over the top of the cakes and place in paper cases.