With a rich vanilla buttercream and tart raspberry jam sandwiched between two layers of vanilla sponge cake, this classic gets a mini makeover fit for any afternoon tea party!
Prep and preheat: preheat your oven to 350°F. Using a paper towel wrapped around your fingers (or your preferred butter greasing method), work with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter to smear the inside of each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan thoroughly. (Make sure you fully coat the corners and the bottom of the cups, and you’ll probably have a little of that two tablespoons of butter leftover.) Add about 1 teaspoon of flour inside of each cup, then knock the pan around over your sink or trash can to fully flour the bottom and sides of each cup. Dump out any excess flour after coating into the sink or trash.
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla: cream together the 10 tablespoons butter, sugar, and vanilla until well blended, light and fluffy (about 1 minute on medium-high speed).
Beat in all other ingredients: add all the remaining cupcake ingredients and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds until all ingredients are fully combined and batter is smooth.
Transfer and bake: divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (about a scant ¼ cup each). Bake for 17-21 minutes until the tops are golden brown, fully set, and gently spring back when touched.
Cool: allow cakes to cool completely while you prepare the filling. Once cooled, remove the mini cakes from their pan, loosening the sides gently with an offset spatula or knife as needed before popping them out of the tin.
To make the frosting and assemble:
Combine and mix frosting: combine the ½ cup butter, powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl, and mix on high speed for 3 minutes until fully combined, light, and fluffy. (I recommend a hand mixer here as this mini batch is too small for most stand mixers to be able to mix well.)
Fill, stack, and enjoy teatime! Slice each mini cake in half from the side like a hamburger bun. Spread a thin layer of the buttercream on the bottom halves of the cooled cakes (1-2 tablespoons each). Spread about 1 tablespoon of jam over top of the buttercream in a thin layer. Top each bottom half with their corresponding tops. Dust with powdered sugar on top using a sieve for a pretty finish, then have some friends join you to share over a pot of tea!
Notes
While you'll find both raspberry and strawberry jams used in Victoria Sponge cake, I prefer raspberry as I think the tart notes offset the rich filling I like to use as well. Strawberry is a great option too though if you just prefer the flavor or are looking for a more summery twist.
Another classic filling for Victoria Sponge cake is just simple whipped cream. So if you're in a hurry, you can just use some freshly whipped cream (or even store-bought for a super-quick prep) to replace the frosting in the filling. Please note though that if you use whipped cream, you should only fill the cakes you are immediately planning on eating as the whipped cream filling will not keep as well as the frosting.
It’d mean so much to me if you could please give the recipe card a ⭐ rating on the site and leave a comment to help others find this sweet recipe! Xo, Jocelyn @ Mint+Mallow