Mini Victoria sponges and Battenberg cake

Mini Victoria sponges

Tip: If you don’t have a mini muffin mould, make these in mini muffin papers, cut a circle in the top, fill the hole with jam and replace the top before dusting.

Makes: 20 cakes
Cook time: 15-18 minutes to cook + cooling
Prep time: 20 minutes
Points per cake: 3

Ingredients

• 110g low fat spread
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 110g self-raising flour, sifted
• 60g strawberry or raspberry jam
• 1 tsp icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180ºC/fan 160ºC. Beat together the spread and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg a little at a time with the vanilla. Fold in the flour.
2. Spoon the mixture into 20 holes of a non-stick mini muffin mould and bake for 15–18 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.
3. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the cakes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When the cakes are cold, slice in half and fill with jam. Dust with the icing sugar and serve.
5. Store the cakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days, though they are best eaten on the day of baking. The unfilled sponges can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Battenberg cake

Makes: 18 cakes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Points per cake: 6

Ingredients

• 100g low fat spread
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 125g self-raising flour, sifted
• ½ tsp baking powder
• A few drops pink and yellow food colouring
• 4 tsp apricot jam, sieved and mixed with 1 tsp water

For the covering:

• 220g marzipan (we used golden)
• ½ tsp icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180ºC/fan 160ºC. Line a 20cm (8inch) square cake tin using baking parchment. Place a folded strip of foil, slightly longer than the tin, down the middle to divide it in half, bending both ends so that they sit flush against the sides. This will act as a divider for your different coloured sponges.
2. Use an electric whisk to beat together the low-fat spread, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, self-raising flour and baking powder until smooth.
3. Place half (it is best to weigh it to be accurate) the mixture in a separate, clean bowl and stir the pink colouring into one batch and the yellow into the other. Carefully spoon into the separate compartments in the tin, holding the foil so that it stays in the middle, then bake for 20–25 minutes until springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing both sponges to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Discard the lining paper and cut each coloured sponge into 4 long strips. Spread the tops and long edges sparingly with the jam. Sandwich together 2 pink and 2 yellow coloured strips to create a chequerboard effect. Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces.
5. Lay a piece of clingfilm on the worktop and dust your rolling pin with the icing sugar. Divide the marzipan into 2 equal pieces, take one piece and roll out a rectangle to fit around one batch of cake. Lay the sponge on top and wrap the marzipan around, pulling the clingfilm up and tightly over. Seal the edge with a little water and use your hands to mould the marzipan to fit the exact shape of the cake. Trim any excess. Repeat with the other batch of cake. Slice to serve. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.