Exact quantities, then the method.
This is a proper Victoria sponge made with Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea, so the cake really tastes of blackcurrant rather than just looking pink. The tea goes in twice: infused into the milk that flavours the sponge, and brushed across the layers as a light soak after baking, before the jam and cream go in.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Blackcurrant Tea Victoria Sponge recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/biscuits/blackcurrant-tea-victoria-sponge/
For a Victoria sponge the milk is the carrier, so the tea is steeped into warm milk rather than water or butter. Keep the soak light, about a tablespoon per layer, or the sponge turns wet. Filled with good blackcurrant jam and softly whipped cream, it is a teatime cake that tastes of its tea.
You'll need
- For the blackcurrant-tea milk infusion (start 15 min ahead):
- 2 Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea bags
- 60ml full-fat dairy milk, warmed to 60 degrees in a small pan
- For the Victoria sponge:
- 200g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 200g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- For the blackcurrant-tea soak drizzle:
- 1 Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea bag
- 50ml just-boiled water
- 20g caster sugar
- For the filling and topping:
- 150g good blackcurrant jam (Bonne Maman or a local preserve with visible fruit)
- 300ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks (no sugar; the jam carries the sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted, for dusting the top
- 50g fresh blackcurrants or blackberries, for decoration on top, optional
- Tin: 20cm round springform tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
Method
- Make the blackcurrant-tea milk first. Warm 60ml of full-fat milk to about 60C (just hot to the touch, no bubbles), take it off the heat, drop in two blackcurrant tea bags, cover and infuse for 10 minutes.
- Lift out the bags, pressing them against the pan; the milk should be a soft pink-mauve and smell of blackcurrant. You will have about 50ml. Set aside to cool.
- Heat the oven to 175C fan (195 conventional) and line a 20cm springform tin.
- Beat the butter and sugar for about three minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time, and the vanilla.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, pour in the cooled blackcurrant milk, and fold gently until just combined.
- Spoon into the tin, level the top, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before splitting, or it will tear.
- For the soak, steep a third blackcurrant bag in 50ml of just-boiled water for four minutes, stir in the sugar until dissolved, and cool.
- Split the cooled sponge into two layers. Drizzle a tablespoon of the soak over the cut face of the bottom layer, spread with blackcurrant jam, then a thick layer of whipped cream.
- Set the top layer in place, drizzle the rest of the soak over (or leave it dry and just dust the top), and finish with sifted icing sugar and a few fresh blackcurrants if you have them.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
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