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Making and baking cakes can become an occupational hazard when you work for an egg business! Our family has been passing down well-worn recipe books and egg recipes to each other for generations.

As part of our 70th anniversary year, and to celebrate Mother’s Day, Caroline Fairburn-Wright shares her Nanna Bertha’s special sponge cake recipe.

“I remember baking this with my Nanna when I was little and, of course, she always used to let me lick the spoon at the end,” says Caroline.

“I always loved my Nanna’s baking – she was renowned for it. All the farm staff and visitors to her house would get a slice of her cake!”

Caroline says the recipe has been around almost as long as the family business.

“I think the recipe was passed down from her own mother, who she used to bake with as a child," she says. "I am now the baker of the family – and I always bake this cake for birthdays for family members. I’ve been making this cake for about 20 years now!”

Try out the recipe below...

Nanna Bertha’s Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients

8oz self-raising flour

8oz caster sugar

8oz softened butter

1tsp baking powder

4 medium eggs

1-2tbsp milk

For the filling

4oz softened butter

4oz icing sugar

Approx. 170g jam

Icing sugar to decorate

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven to 170C/Gas 4. Line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins.

Step 2: In a large bowl, add the self-raising flour, caster sugar, softened butter, baking powder and eggs, and mix together. Add the milk until you have a soft, smooth batter.

Step 3: Divide the mixture between the two tins.

Step 4: Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden, and a skewer comes out clean.

Step 5: Leave in the tins for approximately 5 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 6: Beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until smooth.

Step 7: Spread the buttercream onto one of the sponges and top with the jam, then place the other sponge on top.

Step 8: Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve.