Victoria sponge with crème patissière and gooseberry compote recipe

By Alice Hart

This delightfully old-fashioned sponge recipe is a taste of summer. We hope you enjoy the sweet and tart combination as much as we did.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Butter and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then gradually mix in the eggs with a little of the flour. Fold in the remaining flour, vanilla and milk, until smooth. Divide between the tins, level, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, make the crème patissière. Heat the milk, vanilla pod and seeds in a small pan, until simmering. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and return to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until very thick. Discard the pod, cover the surface with cling film and cool.
3. For the compote, put the gooseberries and sugar in a small pan over a medium heat. Cook for
10 minutes (3-4 minutes if frozen), stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the elderflower cordial – add more sugar if it’s tart. Cool completely.
4. Whisk the cream and elderflower cordial to stiff peaks. Whisk in some crème patissière to loosen, then fold in the rest. Spread onto the flat side of 1 cake, then top with the gooseberry compote. Sandwich with the other cake, flat-side down, then dust with icing sugar to serve.