Launching The Great Bloggers Bake Off and a Victoria Sponge

14 Comments

To anyone who knows me this will come as no surprise, but I have a confession.

I LOVE CAKE

I love making them. I love thinking up new recipes and taste combinations. I love eating them. Yes, I LOVE cake!

So, I am rather excited that tomorrow night sees the return of BBC 2’s Great British Bake Off! I so enjoy this show and if I were a bit more talented I would enter. However, instead I use my blog as a reason to practise my show stoppers and bakes and cakes as it is a hobby I am very passionate about (and because I like to eat cake!).

For a bit of fun and to create some blogger cake making community spirit, myself and my fellow cake twin, Helen from The Crazy Kitchen will be hosting the Great Bloggers Bake Off. The idea is very simple:

**the Wednesday morning following each episode of the GBBO a linky will open on mine and Helen’s blogs, and you need to bake a recipe inspired by one which was featured in the show the night before. It can be an exact copy, one you have created yourself or a mix! As long as it can be connected to the themes used in that episode it can be linked up.

**the linky will remain open until Sunday night which gives Helen Hollywood and myself, Jenny Berry, time to look at all the entries and pick a Star Baker for that week. The blogger who receives this coverted accolade will win an exclusive blog badge to wear with pride.

**the next linky will open the following Wednesday as before but obviously with a new theme based on Tuesday’s episode.

This is not a serious linky at all (unless you make it so of course!).  It is just for fun and any blogger is welcome to enter whatever their baking skills are and don’t be afraid to link up any diasters –  credit will be given for effort too! I mean, I have never made my own bread before so that challenge could be majorly embarrassing for me!

Word on the internet is that in tomorrow nights episode the themes will be sandwich sponge, angel food cake and the showstopper will be associated with chocolate. I base most of my sponge cake recipes on the sandwich sponge recipe and just made minor adjustments eg. adding cocoa powder or lemon zest etc…

In honour of the start of the GGBO on TV and the launch of the GBBO in blogging land I thought I would share a Victoria Sponge that I made a few weeks ago for a picnic. It is such an easy recipe and as I said one I use a lot with my own adaptations of course! You can use fresh cream, buttercream or even cheat and use a tub of Betty Crocker’s finest !

vsponge1a

Ingredients:

200g self raising flour
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Strawberry or raspberry  jam
Tub of ready made vanilla buttercream
Method:
Pre heat oven to 180oC / 16o c (fan)
Grease and line 2 x 8 inch cake tins
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and soft
Add the eggs and vanilla essence and beat well
Fold in the flour
Divide between the cake tins
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked right through
Once cool sandwich the two sponges with the buttercream and jam
vsponge2
( Check out Helen’s much more refined version of this recipe – here ! )

14 Comments

  3. This is an excellent idea and whilst I’m not going to join (as I’m pants at baking anything at all), I am definitely going to ogling all the photos of your recipes! 🙂

    Reply

  4. I can’t get my big cakes to rise in the oven, so if I’m allowed to do cupcake versions of them all then I’ll be fine!

    (And buttercream in a Viccie Sarnie? Shame on you!)

    Reply

    • Of course buttercream in a Victoria sponge! What else would you put in one? (I’m truly baffled now!) x

      This looks like a great idea. How come no linky on this first one? x

      Reply

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