Is there anything that says British summer more than strawberries and gin? We thought not, so we’ve taken a classic Victoria sponge and given it a gin-soaked makeover that’s sure to impress even the most discerning Mary Berrys and James Martins of your friends and family!

What is the difference between a Victoria sponge and a sponge?

A Victoria sponge, also known as a “Victoria sponge sandwich”, is no different from your standard sponge. The difference comes in the presentation: a Victoria sponge is traditionally two sponge cakes with a filling of cream and strawberries or strawberry jam between them (hence the “sandwich” part of the name).

For our take on the Victoria sponge, we’ve added strawberry-flavoured gin to the strawberries and Elderflower Syrup to the cream to give it an extra hit of summer deliciousness. We think it’s one of the most fantastic Victoria sponge cake filling ideas around, and we are sure Queen Victoria would agree!

You can find Elderflower Syrup on the Craft Gin Club online shop, here.

Do you put the strawberries or cream in the Victoria sponge first?

We like to add the cream to the bottom Victoria sponge first in a thick, volumptuous layer. We then like to add the layer of strawberries and their juice second. This creates a gorgeous visual effect as the juices run down over the cream invitingly.

The best Strawberry, Gin & Elderflower Victoria Sponge Cake recipe:

Ingredients

Sponge Cake
225g caster sugar
225g butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins
4 free-range eggs
200g self-raising flour
25g cornflower
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Strawberry Filling
500g strawberries
30ml strawberry gin
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp lime juice

Elderflower Cream
300ml double cream
60ml elderflower liqueur
1-2 tbsp icing sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished cake

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c, and grease two 8” sandwich tins.
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated, then sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder.
Finally add in the vanilla and milk, being careful not to over mix, then pour the batter equally between the two tins.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack.
Hull and slice 300g strawberries, then mix in a bowl with the gin, sugar and lime juice. Leave to macerate for 20 minutes. Strain the strawberries and keep the liquid to one side.
Whip the cream, elderflower liqueur and icing sugar together until stiff peaks form.
Once the cakes have cooled, spread half the cream onto the top of one, then spoon over your macerated strawberries. Drizzle with some of the leftover liquid, the place the other cake on top.
Spread the remaining cream on top, and decorate with the remaining fresh strawberries.