Victoria Sponge Cake with a twist

Well everyone bakes a Victoria sponge and here is mine! Good friends and good food on a fine summer day... good enough to celebrate with a beautiful sponge with lots of lovely summer strawberries :)
I added a dash of rose extract to give the usual Victoria sponge a new refreshing flavour. Baking a naked cake with some lovely summer fruits was the idea, like a fancy Victoria sponge cake :D

After an evening with friends,  the cake vanished and I knew I had got it right ;) 

Fancier Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE

225 g unsalted butter , softened

225 g caster sugar

4 eggs

225 g self-raising flour

a dash of pure vanilla extract

FOR THE DRIZZLE TOPPING

a dash of pure rose extract

35 g caster sugar

FOR THE FILLING

Slightly sweet whipped cream

Sliced Strawberries

Strawberry Jam

Icing Sugar

Few fresh Strawberries

Method:

• Heat oven to 180 C/fan 160 C/gas 4. 
• Beat together 225 g softened unsalted butter and 225 g caster sugar until pale and creamy, then add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. 
• Sift in 225 g flour, then add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. 
• Line two sandwich tins with grease proof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
• Bake for 35-40 mins or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
• While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the rose extract and 35 g caster sugar with little water to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle.
• Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and assemble. 

To ASSEMBLE

• Slather some strawberry jam on one cake and then add a layer of sliced strawberries on top. 
• Now tip in the whipped cream and level it using a spatula or spoon.
• Slather some strawberry jam on the second cake and place it on top of the whipped cream layer.
• Dust some icing sugar on top and decorate with few fresh strawberries.

Notes: Since I used the rose extract drizzle, I made the whipped cream with very less sugar and used just a thin spread of jam.
Also be cautious when using the rose extract as they are very strong! I did get the feedback from my personal baker expert, friend Nishima to go mild on the rose extract :)

                                                                 ♥ Thank you ♥