Rhubarb and
custard Victoria
sponge
Serves 10
Ingredients
For the crème pâtissière
- 300ml whole milk
- 75ml single cream
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 75g golden caster sugar
- 3 medium egg yolks
- 30g cornflour
- 40g soft unsalted butter,
cubed
For the sponge
- 200g self-raising flour
- 220g golden caster sugar
- 220g soft unsalted butter
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 medium eggs
- 50ml milk
- 25g ground almonds
For the rhubarb
- 300g rhubarb, chopped
into 2.5cm pieces - 50g golden caster sugar
- 50ml amaretto
01 First make the crème
pâtissière. Put the milk, cream
and vanilla paste in a large
heavy saucepan and bring to
the boil. While heating, mix
together the sugar, egg yolks
and cornflour in a large bowl
until smooth.
02 Once the milk mixture has
come to the boil, remove from
the heat and pour about a
quarter of it into the egg and
sugar mixture. Whisk together,
then whisk this mixture into the
hot milk remaining in the pan.
03 Set over a low-medium
heat and keep whisking until
the mixture thickens. Remove
from the heat and stir through
the cubed butter until melted
and glossy. Place a piece of
greaseproof paper on top of
the crème to stop a skin from
forming. Allow to cool, then
put in the fridge until thick.
04 Now make the sponge.
Heat the oven to 160C
(180C non-fan). Grease
2 x 20cm round, loose-
bottomed sandwich tins,
and line the bases with
parchment paper. Put all
the ingredients for the
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editionssponge in a large mixing bowl
and beat together using an
electric or hand mixer until
smooth, light and fluffy.
Divide the mixture between
the prepared tins.05 Put the tins in the oven and
bake for 20-25 min until the
sponge is golden, risen and
springy to the touch. Remove
from the oven and carefully
turn out onto a cooling rack.06 Put the rhubarb in a
saucepan with the sugar and
amaretto and mix. Cook over
a low heat until the sugarhas dissolved and the rhubarb
is soft but not mushy. Leave
the mixture to cool.07 To assemble the cake, turn
one sponge upside down so
the flat side is face up. Put the
crème pâtissière in a piping bag
with a nozzle and pipe mounds
onto the whole surface.08 Spoon the cooled rhubarb
mix over the mounds of crème
pâtissière. You want the mix
to soak into the sponge and
dribble over the cake’s edges.
Top with the second sponge
and dust with icing sugar.44 • The Sunday Times Magazine