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The Victoria Sponge is the quintessential British cake, resplendent in any village tea room worth their salt. Fluffy vanilla sponge, generously filled with raspberry jam and a light buttercream. The surface is broadly undecorated but sprinkled liberally with a crunch of caster sugar. This Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge is baked with an easy gluten-free flour and has no xanthan gum. It is so versatile and can be called upon for any occasion.
Jump to:
- Watch the video to see how to make it
- What is a Victoria Sponge?
- Why is a Victoria Sponge called a Victoria Sponge?
- Victoria Sponge and The Women’s Institute
- More gluten-free cakes you'll love
- Sponge ingredients
- Step-by-step instructions
- How to achieve a level cake
- How to turn out the sponges to avoid rack marks?
- What jam to use
- Which cream to use for the filling
- How to make vanilla buttercream icing
- Icing or caster sugar for dusting?
- How to freeze
- Are your sponges too crusty?
- Make in advance
- Shop the recipe
- Recipe variations
- Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge
The beauty of a great Victoria Sponge Cake is in its simplicity. But the problem with even the best gluten-free sponge cake recipe is that things can get a little over-complicated.
- You will often find gluten-free cakes need all kinds of different flours which are hard to find and expensive
- they often need xanthan gum which you may not be comfortable using
- and then to top it all off the results can be variable at best - dry, sandy, gummy and dense cakes unfortunately have become synonymous with gluten-free baking.
There is a reason why the phrase ‘good for gluten-free’ has become so widely used. Gluten-free cakes are often seen as inferior offerings.
Not with this cake.
🍰I have found a way to keep this Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake just as easy and straightforward with:Â
- No complicated flours. Just all-purpose gluten-free flour, ground almonds.
- No xanthan gum. READ MORE >>> Why I never bake with xanthan gum
- Light, soft, bouncy texture with good structure. No crumble or gummy mouthfeel.
- Buttery moist tender crumb. You won’t find any dryness here!
- Deep rich vanilla flavour. It tastes exactly how it should.
- Well risen. This cake will stand resplendent on your afternoon tea table.
✨This perfect cake is so easy to make that even if you have never made a gluten-free cake before in your life you will be rustling this up in no time. You will be hard pressed to find anyone that will have any inkling that this is a gluten-free cake.✨
Now, I have to say, that I have quite good credentials when it comes to knowing a decent classic Victoria Sponge. I was President of our local Women’s Institute for 2 years and the WI can be a very discerning lot when it comes to their Vicky Sponges. I baked this cake a number of times for our gluten-free cake sales and it would fly off the stall every time.
Below I’ll guide you through all the best tips that makes this cake such a winner with:
- Step-by-step instructions.
- Lots of process images and a video so you really can’t go wrong.
- I’ll be sharing how to choose quality ingredients.
- Why you can choose any of the gluten-free flour blends to achieve perfect results.
- How to make your sponges neat and level.
- How to avoid rack marks.
- What jam to use.
- How you should finish your cake - caster sugar or icing sugar!!
- How you can vary the recipe to make so many different kinds of cakes.
- And I’ll also reveal why I veer away from one of the cardinal rules of a WI Victoria Sponge!!
So let’s get baking!
Watch the video to see how to make it
What is a Victoria Sponge?
This Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge is a lovely easy cake to bake, consisting of two circular sponges made with a few simple ingredients. The sponges are sandwiched together with a hearty helping of raspberry jam. The buttercream filling is optional but I feel very necessary and the surface of the cake is sprinkled liberally with caster sugar.
Why is a Victoria Sponge called a Victoria Sponge?
The cake is named after Queen Victoria who wasn’t allowed sweet treats in her youth but certainly made up for it with gusto in her later years.
Previously sponge cakes had been quite leaden affairs until the invention of baking powder in 1843. The baking powder gave this new Victoria Sponge cake unprecedented height and airiness.
Victoria Sponge and The Women’s Institute
The Women’s Institute, which is the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK, is famous for raising funds through their cake stalls. And you can guarantee there will be a Victoria Sponge Cake sitting resplendent at one of their events. However if you really want to make a proper WI approved Victoria Sponge then you may want to take a glance at their handbook. They are fastidious about the rules and regulations of a true Victoria Sponge.
The WI have exact specifications on the correct method for baking, the required number of eggs, the unquestionable flavour of jam and which sugar you should choose for dusting. So it’s here that I confess that this Victoria Sponge will be going a little off-piste.
For starters, I’m not sure the WI will forgive me for offering a gluten-free version of their beloved cake in the first place. However, as a lapsed member, and indeed ex-President, of our local WI that doesn’t mean I don’t adhere to a few of the rules, the ones I deem most important.
More gluten-free cakes you'll love
Gluten-Free Cherry Cake
Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Gluten-Free Coffee and Walnut Cake
Gluten-Free Apple Cake
Sponge ingredients
There are few quality ingredients in a Victoria Sponge so there is no room here for cutting corners. Let's go through them all!
Butter
Not margarine – ever! The butter should be creamed into your caster sugar until pale, light and fluffy. There is no place here for the all-in-one method and the end results will speak for themselves.
Good quality butter: The most nutritious butter for the job is the product of grass-fed cows which are loaded with Vitamin K2 and for that local butter is your best bet. If you can’t buy your butter from local grass-fed cows then Kerrygold butter is the next best thing, found in most supermarkets and is about 90% grass-fed.
Eggs
Find the best eggs you can from a local supplier, if you know the hen’s name, all the better. This recipe uses medium sized eggs which are 60g each with shell (50g without shell).
Burford Brown eggs from Clarence Court are the superior supermarket egg. Their yolks are custard yellow and creamy, creating a rich and very flavourful addition to your sponge.
Gluten-Free Tip: The WI insists that only three eggs should be used but as we are using gluten-free flours we need more rise, more liquid and more binding power so here we use four.
Do I need to weigh my eggs?
The traditional method of measuring out the ingredients for a Victoria Sponge is to weigh the eggs first, in their shells, then use that measurement to know how much butter, sugar and flour to use. However if you use four medium sized eggs (which are between 53g-63g each in their shells) then you can’t go wrong with using 240g butter, 240g sugar and 240g total flour.
Gluten-free flour
The Victoria Sponge should be a very accessible cake so let’s not concern ourselves with complicated flours. I advocate here for a plain gluten-free flour blend which you can buy from your local supermarket. This recipe was tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour. However, any brand will do.
Or, have you tried this Homemade Gluten-Free Flour blend yet in your cakes? It is the perfect balance of flour and bakes up absolutely beautifully with the most incredible texture and flavour.
The reason we can just use a regular gluten-free flour blend without xanthan gum is because we are adding the following extra ingredient:
Ground almonds
Don’t tell the WI. Since we are using a supermarket gluten-free flour then we need a bit more moisture to avoid a dry and crumbly cake. Ground almonds gives the cake a beautifully tender crumb which will hold together well. Plus the gentle scent of almonds gives the cake a little more depth.
Can I use almond flour instead of ground almonds? - Why yes, you can, either is fine.
✨However, you cannot omit the almonds. Due to their high protein content they are an essential ingredient in achieving the right structure and texture in this recipe.✨
Vanilla extract
Always vanilla extract please and never vanilla essence which is a chemically made ingredient with a very saccharine and shallow vanilla taste. The addition of vanilla in a Victoria Sponge is not obligatory but it gives the cake such a beautiful pure flavour.
Whole milk
The addition of milk to loosen the batter is not a WI approved ingredient but it certainly makes for a creamier and lighter sponge, especially since gluten-free cakes need more moisture. Only two tablespoons are required to be added at the end of the mixing stage but it really makes all the difference.
Step-by-step instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.
- Sieve the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt together, then add into the cake mixture, mixing until well combined.
- Stir in the milk to lighten the batter then divide the batter equally between the two sandwich tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to settle for 5 minutes in their tins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely before filling.
✨To achieve the best results when you mix the vanilla sponges you can use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.✨
Buttercream
- Beat the icing sugar with the unsalted butter until very light and fluffy.
- Add the whole milk, vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.
Assembly
- Take one of your sponges and slather on the raspberry jam very evenly over the surface, spreading to the edge.
- For an even layer of buttercream pipe your buttercream in concentric circles over the top of the jam then use a small palette knife to gently even it out.
- Place the second sponge carefully on the top of the filling and sprinkle the caster sugar evenly on top of the cake.
How to achieve a level cake
Digital scales are your best friend here and they allow you to weigh your batter so both cake layers are exactly the same height and weight.
- Before filling your greased and lined 8 inch round cake tins with the prepared cake batter, place one of them onto the scales, set to zero then pour in about half of the batter.
- Remove from the digital scales, put the other cake tin on the scales and set to zero again.
- Add the other half of the batter, making sure it weighs exactly the same amount as the first tin.
- Once you have equal weights of batter in your tins and you have smoothed them out then they are ready for the oven and your will have an even layer cake.
How to turn out the sponges to avoid rack marks?
Since a Victoria Sponge is only decorated with a sprinkle of caster sugar, every imperfection on the surface of the cake is visible. Plus if you do want to abide by the WI’s rules then the surface of your cake must not be marred by the criss cross pattern of your cooling rack.
Luckily we have an advantage in that the gluten-free flours provide the cake with a more sturdy crust so you should be fine turning it out as usual.
However, if you don’t want to take any chances then follow these instructions:
- Leave your cake to cool in the tin for five minutes exactly.
- Run a small palette knife around the edges of your cake which should have come away from the edges of the tin anyway.
- Get as close as possible to your cooling rack then turn the cake gently out into your hand so you are holding the surface of the cake for just a moment. At exactly the same time use your other hand to thrust the cake tin aside and quickly place your cooling rack to the underside of the cake, flipping over with caution.
- Leave the cake to cool on the rack.
Perhaps don’t try this on your first Victoria Sandwich attempt as broken cakes can be very upsetting.
What jam to use
Any jam you have to hand will be delicious, especially if it’s homemade. Buuuttt… Again, my contemporaries at the WI are not so casual about the choice of jam. They insist the only true jam for a Victoria Sponge is raspberry jam. However, don't worry - your cake will still be delicious if you use strawberry jam or indeed any homemade jam. Although it is important to use a nice thickly set jam. If your jam is too loose there is a high chance it will spill out when you place the second cake layer on top.
Which cream to use for the filling
Gosh, now we are entering some choppy waters. The WI does not like their Victoria Sponge filled with fresh cream or buttercream. Instead they prefer the jam to sit uninterrupted in the middle of the cake. Delicious? Of course. But you know what would be more delicious? That’s right, buttercream.
Any sort of fancy swiss meringue, boiled icing, French-this, Italian-that or even fresh whipped cream is not the thing for our schoolmarm of a cake. We need straightforward 'butter plus icing sugar and that-is-that' buttercream.
The buttercream adds moisture to this sturdy sponge and also gives the jam a bit of a helping hand in the luxury department. There is nothing better than a squidgy piece of Victoria Sponge oozing with jam and buttercream. Without buttercream is far too austere for this baker.
How to make vanilla buttercream icing
The rule of thumb for the easiest buttercream is equal amounts icing sugar and unsalted butter. Beat these two lovebirds on high for 5-10 minutes and you will achieve the lightest fluffiest buttercream. It will pipe like a dream and melt in the mouth. For creaminess add a dash of whole milk. Then for flavour add a drop of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
Icing or caster sugar for dusting?
Ha! Use icing sugar at your peril. I am in complete agreement with the WI that a light dusting of caster sugar is the only sugar to use here. It glistens on the top and adds crunch, a most welcome texture.
How to freeze
It freezes very well but I would recommend to freeze the two sponge layers separately before decorating. Wrap them well in cling film then tin foil. To defrost remove from the freezer the night before. Allow to defrost overnight then unwrap and assemble as usual.
I don’t recommend freezing the cake already filled with the jam and buttercream. You will not be able to wrap the cake up tightly enough and it will run the risk of freezer-burn.
Are your sponges too crusty?
Gluten-free flours can brown and crisp easily in the oven. With some brands of gluten-free flour you might find your sponges have a bit of an unnecessary crust. This is slightly at odds with the soft and fluffy personality of a Victoria Sponge. There are 2 solutions:
- You could make the sponges a day in advance and store in an airtight container, stacked with a layer of parchment paper in between, at room temperature. This means the cake crusts softens and achieves a much better texture.
- Or you could use a gluten-free flour which doesn't crust in this way. I recommend this Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend which creates an incredible sponge flavour and texture for your Victoria Sponge.
Make in advance
Making the whole cake in advance leads to the best bit about a Victoria Sponge. After a day the jam starts to sink into the sponge which gives it the most lovely squidgy texture.
You can make the cake up to 2 days in advance. Store the cake in an airtight container in a cool dark place (not the fridge).
Shop the recipe
- Digital scales
- 8 inch round cake tins
- Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour
- Silicone Spatula
- Large Plain Round Icing Nozzle 3R
- Recyclable piping bags
- Small offset spatula
- Square cake box
Recipe variations
There are many different ways to change up your Victoria Sponge to create all sorts of cake flavours. Here are some of my favourites:
- Fresh Berries: Swap the homemade jam for a layer of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or whatever is in season.
- Lemon Sponge: Add the zest of a lemon or two to the cake batter to infuse it with a lovely citrus flavor. You can also add a lemon-flavored buttercream or lemon curd to the filling for an extra zesty kick.
- Chocolate Cake: For chocolate lovers, you can replace a portion of the flour with cocoa powder to create a chocolate version of the cake. Fill it with chocolate ganache or a chocolate-flavored whipped cream.
- Coffee Cake: Mix in a few tablespoons of instant coffee granules dissolved in hot water to create a coffee-infused cake. A coffee-flavored buttercream complements this variation perfectly.
✨Have you tried this Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers✨
Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge
Ingredients
- 240 g unsalted butter - at room temperature
- 240 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs - 60g each with shell
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 120 g gluten-free flour - see notes below
- 120 g ground almonds
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 175 g raspberry jam
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar for sprinkling at the end
Buttercream
- 200 g icing sugar
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- â…› teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan assisted oven /gas mark 4 and line and grease 2 x round 8 inch x 4 inch cake tins.
- Cream the butter and sugar for about 3-4 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until completely incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.
- Whisk the gluten-free flour with the ground almonds almond , baking powder and salt in separate mixing bowl, then add into the rest of the cake mixture. Beat until well combined.
- Stir in the milk to lighten the batter then divide the batter equally between the two cake tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to settle for 5 minutes in their tins. Turn out onto cooling racks and leave to cool completely before assembly.
Buttercream
- Beat the icing sugar with the unsalted butter for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often.
- Add the whole milk, vanilla extract and salt and beat until smooth and creamy.
Assembly
- Take one of your sponges and slather the raspberry jam very evenly over the surface, spreading to the edge.
- For an even layer of buttercream, fill a piping bag with the buttercream fitted with a large plain round piping tip. Pipe concentric circles over the top of the jam then use a small palette knife to gently even it out.
- Place the second sponge carefully on the top of the buttercream and sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over the surface.
Video
Notes
- This cake was tested with Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour which doesn’t contain any xanthan gum. However if your blend does contain xanthan gum then that will work fine too.
- This Victoria Sponge was also tested with my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend which produces the best version of this cake.
- Use the best quality jam you can find. I recommend Bonne Maman Raspberry Conserve for the best supermarket option.
Cara says
Hi there, I'm about to make the Victoria sponge and I have a question about using your gf flour mix (4 flours). Should I use 240g of the mix or 120g of the mix and 120g almond flour? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question to you but I know how easily a small change of ingredient will affect the taste and/or consistency. TIA x
Georgina Hartley says
Not a stupid question at all. Actually, you can do it either way if you are using my homemade flour blend recipe. That recipe has been developed so it's a totally stable flour blend for cakes. If you are using a commerical flour blend then you do need to include the almond flour to improve the structure and texture.
Kersha says
Hello, how could this recipe be adapted to being nut free?
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Kersha, you can replace both the all-purpose gluten-free flour and the ground almonds for my homemade flour blend. You can't just remove the ground almonds and top up the amount with a store bought all-purpose flour as the balance of wholegrain and starchy flours do not work. However, you can replace both flours for my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour. I hope that helps.
Lynda Colley says
Being very new to gluten free I was looking for a recipe for Pineapple upside down cake..... couldn't find one so I used your Victoria sponge recipe, using the same quantities (I used a larger than normal square tin)
I did use Stork block margarine as I'm lactose intolerant, i was worried the mixture had split but pushed ahead anyway.....
Gosh what a gorgeous light and really moist sponge, if my normal Victoria sponge had ever turned out like that I'm be made up...... its given me the confidence to continue learning to bake gluten free.... thank you so much..... I wish you had a recipe book out.....
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe. I do have a pineapple upside down cake on the website too if you wanted to compare. I wish I had a book out too - that would be such a dream!!
Dorottya says
Baked this the second time in a new oven and gosh it turned out to be the best Victoria sponge cake ever! Boyfriend was over the moon. Thank you!!
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it - thank you for your feedback on the cake!
Ella says
Hey! I adore your site and can't wait to start making some of my favourite treats again. I also had a quick question - I am allergic to most nuts (inc. almonds) and was wondering if there is a replacement for them that still gives the cake moisture? TIA x
Georgina Hartley says
It's the protein content of the nuts that makes them so effective in this instance. However, I do have a solution. You can replace the whole amount of flour + ground almonds for my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend which contains no nuts. It's a great switch!
Jann says
Thank you so much for this recipe Georgina and especially for the flour blend recipe. I can't have oat flour or tapioca so I replaced, as per your suggestions, with buckwheat flour and potato starch. I didn't have ground almonds so took a punt and made the cake entirely with the flour blend. It was great!! I had friends over who were gluten free sceptics and they all had second helpings. I used cane caster sugar too. It was moist and light and stayed that way for the 3 days it lasted before last slice was grabbed by myself. I think the buckwheat flour combined with the cane sugar gave it a lovely flavour. Again many thanks - love your recipes!!!
Georgina Hartley says
You are so welcome Jann, I'm so happy to hear the substitutions worked out well for you and the cake was a success!!
Jan Thomas says
Yes it IS the best cake in the world!
Evie says
Best gluten free cake recipe ever! Family loved it so much, I’m making it again this weekend. Thank you for sharing this FANTASTIC recipe
Georgina Hartley says
That's great Evie - I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake!!
Nina Hovesen says
Best gluten free sponge cake ever.
And then it easy to make due to a good instruction
Georgina Hartley says
That's great to hear Nina - thank you for your lovely feedback!
James Hoyland says
Just used this to make my daughter's 8th birthday cake. Wonderful recipe. I just got diagnosed with silent celiac disease and as a baker I was feeling pretty down about it. This recipe gave me hope that gf gf baking can still be fun! Used a gf flour recipe from the pretty bee blog. You can check out the finished product on my insta @hoylandjames.
Georgina Hartley says
That's great to hear - thank you James!
Sheela Churchill says
Btw, I used Stork blocks for the last gluten free recipe I made and it turned out absolutely beautiful. It is Gerogina's Strawberry cake. I have also used Stork blocks they are firmer than the Stork Marg tubs on Victoria sponge cakes as well with normal plain flour and gluten free flour with no adverse effects to the recipe.
Sheela Churchill says
Hi Georgina ,
I have use Ground Almonds in alot of my cake recipes. Yes , they are absolutely delicious in flavour and gives texture. they also keep the cake moist as well. That is one thing the ground almonds are very good at doing keeping the cakes moist and last well.
Sara says
Hi Georgina,
You advice against using margarine in this recipe but my son is allergic to dairy products, so what should i do? What should i substitute butter with?
Thank you for all your amazing tips
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Sara, if it is an allergy then of course you need to substitute. I would recommend a plant based butter - there are lots of brands on the market. At a push then you could also use margarine.
Lynsey says
As an American, I've never tried this cake before, GF or otherwise. This recipe was amazing! I really loved the texture that the almond flour gave it. I sent a pic to my mom and now she wants me to make it for the holidays since she's not a fan of a cake with huge amounts of frosting!
Georgina Hartley says
That's great - thank you for your lovely feedback!
Alie says
Hello! Is it possible to use Flax seed meal in this recipe?
Georgina Hartley says
I haven't tested the cake with flaxseed meal so cannot guarantee the results.
Jessy says
Hello, Can a spring form pan can be used in place of a regular cake pan?
Georgina Hartley says
Yes absolutely!
Jessy says
Hello, will the cake be to thin if I use 9 inch cake pans?
Georgina Hartley says
Yes, the cake will be thinner and the baking time will be slightly shorter.
julie says
This is a glorious cake. I made it this morning and once cooled enough added black cherry jam and whipped cream to the centre (not fond of buttercream). The texture was so light and moreish. We loved it.
We have had an afternoon slice of this, with a glass of red - not tea as it's the weekend - served in the garden under a breezy blue sky. Thank you Georgina for all you hard work and research, it is quite appreciated.
Paul McG says
A cracking gluten free recipe. Some great advice here, I have learned so much!!! Thank-you so much!
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Paul - that's lovely to hear - thank you!
Anna says
I made this yesterday as a birthday cake and it went down a storm with my family! It's a lovely, light sponge. Not having much experience with almond flour I wondered if there'd be a distinct almond-y taste but you'd really never know it wasn't made with ordinary flour! Thank you for sharing, Georgina
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Anna, I'm so happy you enjoyed this cake - it's one of my favourites!! You're right, almond flour is undetectable in taste - but it gives such a perfect structure and lightness to the cake.