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Holding up a slice of our Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake by hand with a silver cake knife and the chocolate cake on a white plate with icing sugar sprinkled all over the surface
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4.80 from 54 votes

Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake

Try a twist on a British classic, with this Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake.
How to make a simple homemade chocolate cake mix using basic ingredients of butter, sugar, eggs, flour and cocoa powder.
Two tier chocolate sandwich cake filled with thick chocolate buttercream frosting. A easy to cook birthday cake, afternoon treat or just an excuse to get baking.
Uk measurements and time given for baking in the oven in two loose base 8 inch sandwich tins.
Check out blog post for ingredients and cooking time for two 7 inch or 9 inch cake tins or making chocolate cake in a single deep cake tin to cut into two after it is cooked.
Prep Time38 minutes
Active Time22 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Afternoon Tea, Cake, Dessert, Party
Cuisine: British
Keyword: 20 cm chocolate cake, 3 egg chocolate cake recipe, 8 inch chocolate cake, 8 inch sandwich tin, Basic cake recipe, British cake, chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Sandwich Cake, chocolate sponge cake, chocolate victoria cake recipe, Chocolate Victoria Sponge, Classic cake, homemade cake, UK measurements
Yield: 10 People
Calories: 512kcal
Author: Luke and Kay - Flawless Food

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake

  • 3 Large Eggs Room temperature
  • 190 grams Butter Room temperature (Stork or margerine can be used instead)
  • 190 grams Caster Sugar
  • 145 grams Self-raising flour
  • 45 grams Cocoa powder

Chocolate Buttercream filling

  • 130 grams Butter Room Temperture
  • 230 grams Icing sugar plus extra for dusting on top
  • 70 grams Cooking Chocolate We use milk chocolate but you could use dark if preferred.
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Prepare for cake

  • For best results I would highly recommend weighing the 3 Large Eggs including the shells and matching your other ingredients measurements to that weight.
    The flour & cocoa powder should be weighed together to make up to the same weight as the eggs.
    Cocoa powder being poured into flour in a black bowl
  • Sift the 145 grams Self-raising flour and 45 grams Cocoa powder together to remove lumps.
    Mixing cocoa powder and flour together in a black bowl with a spoon
  • Grease the inside of two loose bottom, 8 inch / 20 cm sandwich cake tins - If using different size tins or only one tin check blog post for guidance on ingredients and cooking times.
    Greasing two cake tins by hand with butter on parchment paper
  • Add baking paper to fit the bottom of both cake tins this makes it easy to remove from the tin later.
    Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / 375°F
    Placing parchment paper cake liners in the bottom of the two cake tins
  • If using cake baking strips for ensuring level cakes, measure up to the tins, then place in a container filled with cold water to soak up into the strips
    Dipping Wilton baking strips in water in a clear plastic bowl by hand

Make Chocolate Cake

  • Cream the 190 grams Butter until softened in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, until smooth. Add 190 grams Caster Sugar a bit at a time
    190 grams Butter
    Butter and sugar in a large silver mixing bowl
  • Cream until light and fluffy, with a pale yellow colour. This should take approximately 4 minutes with a stand mixer or up to 10 minutes by hand.
    Once creamed together the butter and sugar will have almost doubled in volume.
    Mixing butter and sugar together with an electric mixer
  • Turn speed of mixer to the lowest setting, add 3 Large Eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour and cocoa powder to prevent curdling - if it does still curdle it does not matter it will come back together once dry ingredients are added
    Egg being added to the butter mixture being mixed in an electric mixer
  • Add half the flour and cocoa powder, mix on medium speed until combined.
    Mixing the chocolate cake mixture in a silver bowl together with an electric mixer
  • Add remaining half of flour and cocoa powder, this time use a spoon to fold the mixture in by hand until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
    Folding cocoa powder into the cake mixture with a black spatula in a silver bowl
  • Split mixture between the two tins (I always use scales to make sure they are definitly even, but you can eyeball it)
    Pouring chocolate cake mixture into two lined cake tins
  • Use a spatula to push the mixture evenly around the tin.
    Flatting down chocolate cake mix in a cake tin with a black spatula
  • If using squeeze some water out of the baking strips
    Squeezing the water away from the baking strips by hand over a clear plastic bowl filled with water
  • Add the wet baking strips to the outside of the sandwich cake tins
    Placing Wilton baking strips around two cake tins by hand filled with chocolate cake mixture
  • Cook in preheat oven 190°C / 170°C fan / 375°F for 22 minutes.
    Check to see if the cake has pulled away from the sides.
    Should be soft and spring back from your touch.
    Two cake tins filled with chocolate cake mix with baking strips on the outside placed in an oven to cook
  • Leave in tins to cool for 10 minutes.
    two cooked Chocolate Victoria Sponges in two tins lined with purple baking strips sitting on a wire rack
  • Tip upside down on to a wire rack and remove the baking paper.
    Removing the cake tin parchment paper liner away from the chocolate cake which is cooling on a wire rack
  • Leave on wire rack until completley cooled, do not handle too much whilst warm as the cake is prone to break, crack and crumble. It will firm up as it cools.
    Two chocolate sponges cooling on a black wire rack

Chocolate Buttercream

  • Melt 70 grams Cooking Chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water.
    Or in the microwave at 50% power stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
    Stirring melted chocolate in a large silver mixing bowl
  • Use electric mixer with paddle attachment or whisk to soften 130 grams Butter
    Melted butter being mixed in a silver bowl
  • Use a sieve to sift in half the 230 grams Icing sugar mix on low, add remaining half and mix until soft and fluffy
    Icing sugar and melted butter in a large silver bowl
  • Pour the melted chocolate into the frosting.
    Melted chocolate being poured into the butter mixture being whisked in an electric mixer
  • Mix until well combined
    Chocolate frosting in a silver bowl

Assemble Chocolate Victoria Sponge

  • Place the prepared chocolate buttercream on to one of the sponges
    Chocolate frosting being placed onto a bottom chocolate cake base with a black spatula and silver knife
  • Spread to edges with a spatuala
    Flatting down the chocolate cake filling with a black spatula
  • Add top layer and push down gently.
    Placing down the chocolate cake top by hand on top of the chocolate frosting
  • Sprinkle with icing sugar on top.
    Sprinkling icing sugar over the top of our Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake served on a white plate
  • Slice and serve, as it is or with some cream.
    Holding up a slice of our Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake by hand with a silver cake knife and the chocolate cake on a white plate with icing sugar sprinkled all over the surface

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 881IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg