This 4 layer Blackberry Victoria Sponge Cake is delicate, light and airy. The fluffy layers of sponge cake are filled with whipped cream and blackberry jam. It’s a beautiful show stopping cake for any celebration!

I made this cake for my friends birthday this past weekend. She made some delicious blackberry preserves this summer and suggested a Victoria sponge that we could use the jam on. The cake went beautifully with theme of the party, Dark Academia. It felt British, smart and charming. You can check out the details of the dinner party here!

What is a Victoria Sponge Cake?

Named after Queen Victoria herself, a Victoria Sponge cake consists of light and airy sponge cake layers that are filled with whipped cream and a fruit jam or curd. The cake is typically 2 layers with whipped cream and jam sandwiched in between. I decided to make mine with 4 layers to add height. The sponge cake is made by beating butter and sugar and slowly adding in the eggs and flour. The result is a fluffy and buttery sponge, perfect for afternoon tea.

How to make this 4 layer Victoria Sponge Cake

Cream the butter and sugar. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 (or 4 if you have that many!) cake pans with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand up mixer beat the sugar and butter on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes until it’s a very pale yellow and light and fluffy.
Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat in the eggs and flour. With the mixer on low speed add an egg in with a spoonful of flour. Repeat this process, adding a spoonful of flour each time, until all the eggs are combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during this process. Add the vanilla and beat once more until combined.
Fold in the remaining flour. Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and pour in the remaining flour. Slowly fold in the flour until combined. Do not overmix or you will end up with a dense cake that isn’t airy. The batter will be thick. Add in 5-6 tablespoons of hot water to get it to the right consistency.
Bake the cake. Divide the batter into the cake pans evenly. If you only have 2 cake pans like me, bake 2 layers first and then repeat with the second 2. Bake the cake layers on the center rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cake is golden brown on top and your finger can’t sink into the middle and springs back. Let them cool for 10 minutes and then remove them from the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

How to make the whipped cream filling

Make the whipped cream. Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand up mixer. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the cake. Place a layer of the cake down and top with the blackberry jam, around 1/4 inch thick. Top with a thick layer of whipped cream. Repeat with the additional layers. Top the cake with whipped cream and garnish with blackberries or whatever topping you would like. I added figs to the top of mine.

Tips and Tricks

Do not over mix this cake! This cake is meant to be light and airy. If you overbeat it you will flatten the air bubbles that make it a sponge and it will be dense and flat.
This recipe is for a 4 layer cake. If you want to make a more traditional Victoria Sponge you can cut the recipe in half and make it only 2 layers.
I used blackberry jam for this cake but you can use a variety of different jams and curds. If you want to make a blackberry jam homemade you can use my recipe here from this Lavender Blackberry Cake. Raspberry is said to be the most traditional preserve for a Victoria Sponge.