Vegan Victoria Sponge cake with berries and cream

A delicious vegan Victoria sponge cake, filled with fresh berries, jam and whipped vegan cream. A perfect British teatime treat for Summer!

Does any cake scream British afternoon tea more than a slice of Victoria sponge? Really?!

Sure you can make a case for the lemon drizzle, or maybe even the coffee and walnut, but when push comes to shove, the Victoria sandwich cake will always take first place. Deceptively simple, it consists of two layers of plain sponge sandwiched with a fruity berry jam. A dusting of caster sugar on the top is all the adornment it requires.

My kind of cake

I’ll be honest, this kind of cake is right up my street! I’m always more likely to choose a ‘less fancy’ cake than something that’s equal parts cake and frosting. And the combination of plain sponge cake with a gorgeous strawberry or raspberry jam is hard to beat.

Summer in a cake

I also think this type of cake is just perfect for Summer. Imagine, sitting in the garden, the tea things laid on a small table… A tea pot, china cups, a bowl of fresh ripe strawberries… And a perfect, sparkling Victoria sponge cake, all ready to slice.

I can practically feel the afternoon sun and hear the birdsong.

Vegan Victoria Sponge cake – a patriotic confection

The Victoria Sandwich cake was developed in the late 1800s following the invention of chemical raising agents for baking. People moved away from heavy fruit cakes and towards lighter, softer sponges, and this new type of cake was dedicated to the reigning monarch of the time.

Apparently Queen Victoria was quite partial to a slice of the deliciously new-fangled cake, and it’s a testament to its tastiness that we’re still enjoying it all these years later.

Turning a Victoria sponge cake vegan

The original cake recipe uses butter, eggs, and sometimes milk, alongside flour and a leavening agent, so it definitely isn’t vegan. However, it’s easy enough to make a vegan Victoria sponge using plant-based ingredients, and the resulting cake is still super-yummy.

The main issue I had when creating a vegan Victoria sponge was the colour! Egg yolks and butter give the classic cake an attractive yellow hue, while its vegan cousin was pale by comparison.

To give my vegan Victoria sponge cake it’s gorgeous golden colour, I used cold-pressed rapeseed oil, which is beautifully yellow due to the presence of carotenoids. These naturally occurring pigments have numerous health benefits, so this vegan cake is almost good for you!

Filling for a vegan Victoria sponge

I remember my school cookery teacher hammering home the idea that a REAL Victoria sandwich cake has ONLY jam in the middle. Anything else – fruit, cream, buttercream, whatever – and it ceases to be a true Victoria sponge cake.

What a miserable old stickler!

By all means stick to a layer of fruity jam – your cake will be delicious! But if you really want a Victoria sponge cake that’s fit for a celebration, I recommend adding some fresh berries at the very least, and ideally, a layer of cool whipped vegan cream as well.

If, like my home ec. teacher you can’t bring yourself to do it, simply serve your slice of vegan Victoria sponge with a generous helping of fruit and cream on the side. That way, you get the ‘classic’ jam-only cake, and all the flavours of the extras too! Win-win!

A Victoria Sponge Cake for a Shavuot tea party

Coming as it does in early Summer, Shavuot seems to be the perfect YomTov to throw a tea party. You can do it early in the afternoon and call it ‘lunch’, or later in the afternoon instead of ‘dinner’. Either way, a proper afternoon tea makes for a lovely, light and festive meal.

Of course you will have a beautiful Victoria sponge cake, oozing jam, cream and berries. Here are some other treats to include in a classic afternoon tea.

Classic British Afternoon Tea

• Dainty sandwiches – with the crusts cut off, of course! Fillings can include thinly sliced cucumber, tomato with fresh basil leaves, egg mayonnaise (with or without cress), smoked salmon, cream cheese or vegan cheese spread, sliced cheddar with a little chutney, or whatever takes your fancy!
• Mini quiches or savoury tarts – choose summery fillings like asparagus, spinach or tomato with herbs.
• Bridge rolls – I could (and at some point probably will) write an entire post about bridge rolls. Tiny, two-bite open sandwiches topped with egg mayo, smoked salmon, cream cheese, tuna mayo, chopped herring… Yum!
• Scones – it isn’t a proper tea without scones. Serve with jam and clotted cream for the full experience.
• Individual cakes or ‘fancies’ – beautifully presented squares of brownie, mini cheesecakes, little lemon cupcakes or butterfly cakes… As many different kinds as you like!
• Fruit salad or fruit skewers – I always put fresh fruit on a tea menu. It’s good to have something light and fresh alongside all the sandwiches and cakes.

And of course there should be a pot of piping hot properly brewed tea. Or skip that and serve a glass or two of bubbly instead!

Ingredients in vegan Victoria sponge cake

The ingredients in this yummy cake are very simple. To make one yourself, you will need:

For the cake

• Self-raising flour – this has the raising agents ‘built in’ but otherwise you can use plain (all-purpose) flour plus baking powder
• Caster sugar – also called superfine sugar, this has smaller crystals than granulated sugar
• Rapeseed oil – sometimes also called canola oil, this gives the cake a lovely golden colour, but you can use any neutral vegetable oil, such as sunflower oil, for a paler coloured cake
• Non-dairy milk – I like oat milk, but you can also use soy milk or a nut milk if that’s what you prefer
• Vanilla extract – a non-traditional, optional extra

For the filling

• Fruity berry jam – choose strawberry, raspberry, or a mixed summer berry jam, to sandwich your two layers of Victoria sponge together.
• Fresh berries (optional) – I used a combination of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, but you can also add blackberries, stoned cherries (not technically berries but still delicious), or any other summer fruit.
• Vegan whipped cream (optional) – there are lots of options available for non-dairy cream. Go with whipped coconut cream for its simplicity, or there are plenty of non-dairy whipping cream alternatives available, including kosher parve whipped toppings, or vegan plant-based products. Choose your favourite and use that!

I also used a few chamomile flowers from my garden to decorate the cake. I think any edible flowers would look lovely and summery on this cake, but they’re not essential! A dusting of sparkling caster sugar is really all that’s required.

The cake layers need to be completely cold before you attempt to add the filling. It’s best to fill the cake a few hours before you intend to serve and eat it. Leave it in the fridge for the filling to firm up a little before you slice the cake. Otherwise, it will be quite gooey – which is also good!

The unfilled cakes will stay fresh for a day or two tightly sealed in an air-tight container such as a tin or plastic box. So you can bake ahead, then assemble and serve when you’re ready.

Time for tea and cake!

I don’t know about you, but all of this thinking about cake and tea has me really in the mood for a proper British Afternoon Tea! I hope you’ll find an excuse to join me!

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📖 Recipe

More delicious cake recipes

If you’re in the mood for more yummy cake recipes, how about one of these?

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Vegetarian cake recipes

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