Almond & Cherry Victoria Sandwich

I really should have taken a picture of this cake when I sliced it up. I thought I had, but clearly I was too busy scoffing to pay much attention to the camera. 

Whenever I make a cake Mr M always requests a Victoria sandwich. They're his favourite. I'm quite obliging but they can be a bit boring you know, sometimes you just want something different. I know an almond/cherry combo isn't exactly radical but it's my favourite combo, so there.

I took inspiration from a jar of curd I had in the cupboard, a purchase back in spring from Snape Maltings in Suffolk.

Cherry curd with almonds? I wasn't leaving that behind! It was just crying out for a cake. The curd had chunks of almond in it - they were quite a surprise for people who ate the cake!  

And so this is the cake. Like I say, not radical in any way but a nice take on the good old Victoria sandwich and a very lovely teatime treat.  I guess not everyone as cherry curd so you could just replace with a nice cherry jam. It's also not authentic to use buttercream in a Victoria but I always do as we love it so much!

Almond & Cherry Victoria Sandwich

Ingredients

200g butter, well softened, plus extra for greasing

200g golden caster sugar

100g ground almonds

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp almond extract

4 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

Filling;

1/2 jar of cherry curd or jam

140g icing sugar

100g butter, softened

drop of vanilla extract

Icing sugar to sift over top

Method

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and make sure there's a shelf ready in the middle. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins with baking paper.

Using electric beaters or a stand mixer, beat together all the cake ingredients until smooth, then spoon into the tins and level the tops. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and springy. Don't open the oven before 25 mins cooking time has passed.

When they're ready, cool the sponges for a few mins, then tip out of the tins and cool completely on a wire rack. 

To make the buttercream; beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and vanilla extract.  

When cool, put one sponge on a serving plate, then spread with jam. Take the other sponge and spread with the buttercream. Sandwich the two sponges together and dust the cake with a little icing sugar.

Cut, serve, eat, enjoy!