Individual Victoria Sponges

Recipe courtesy of Cook Vegetarian.
Makes: 6
Cooking time: 30-60 mins

Ingredients
For the cakes:
200g caster sugar
200g Country Life unsalted butter, softened (plus a little for greasing)
4 medium free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour, seived
1 tsb baking powder
2 tbsp milk

For the filling:
100g Country Life unsalted butter, softened
150g icing sugar, seived
1 drop of vanilla extract
4 tbsp good-quality British strawberry jam
Caster sugar (to decorate)

Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F/Gas 5. Butter and lightly dust with flour six individual tins each measuring 7.5cm in diameter and 5.5cm high.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. (This can take as long as 10 mins!)

Break the eggs into a small bowl and add the vanilla extract. Beat this lightly with a fork.

Add the egg very gradually to the butter mixture. If it curdles, add 1 tbsp flour. Now fold in the flour with a large metal spoon. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency; if not add a little milk.

Divide the mixture between the tins and smooth the surface. Bake for 20 mins until the cakes are golden and spring back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack.

When the cakes have cooled, make the butter icing by beating the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beating in the icing sugar. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Cut the cakes in half. Spread the butter cream over the bottom half and top it with jam. Sandwich with the top half and dust with caster sugar. Keep in an airtight box and eat within two days.

For more brilliant bakes, pick up a copy of Cook Vegetarian. www.cookveg.co.uk