Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake

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This gluten-free Victoria sponge cake is light, fluffy, and filled with sweet jam and pillowy whipped cream. It bakes in just 25-30 minutes and tastes just like the classic British teatime cake.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Baking, Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: gluten-free victoria sponge cake

Servings: servings

Author: Sabine Venier

Equipment

2 8" round cake pans

Ingredients

For the Cake

1¾ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

For the Filling

½ cup strawberry or raspberry jam
¾ cup heavy cream whipped
2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
Fold in the dry ingredients, then stir in milk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread jam evenly over the top, then add whipped cream.
Top with the second cake layer and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Reduce the sugar. You can reduce the sugar in the cake to 3/4 cup (150g) without hurting the texture, and use a low-sugar jam. I don't recommend cutting more than that, because sugar helps keep the crumb tender.
Cream the butter and sugar for a full 3 minutes — this is what makes the sponge light. Stop too early, and the cake bakes up dense.
Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, or whisk in 3/4 teaspoon with the dry ingredients. Without it, the layers will crumble when sliced.
Use room temperature butter and eggs. Cold eggs deflate the creamed butter and make a denser cake.
Cool the layers completely before filling, or the whipped cream will melt.
Because of the cream filling, store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unfilled layers can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.
For a cake that sits out at a party, swap the whipped cream for vanilla buttercream — it holds up better at room temperature.

Nutrition