Please Don't Tell The WI

The other Sunday afternoon, when Bob was watching the Grand Prix, and others were engrossed in Tennis or Cricket, I went into the kitchen and baked a cake. I decided on a simple Victoria Sandwich. I looked through a few of my cookbooks - and came across a recipe I had not used before. Nigella's VS recipe involved slinging everything in the food processor and pressing the button [forget creaming, and folding in the flour etc etc]

I was tired, it looked manageable - and I had some strawberries and creme fraiche in the fridge.
And it worked! If you chill your beaters and a metal bowl in the fridge, you can quite successfully whip creme fraiche to a satisfyingly floppy stage which works in this cake.
We celebrated all the sporting victories with tea and cake. Then I portioned and froze the rest before we were tempted to eat the lot.

All the cooks have their own versions of this classic [see here] Some insist you need to have the same weight of flour, sugar and butter as your eggs. Mary Berry has suggested margarine is better [but she's not consistent on that in her recipe books] On The Hairy Bikers programme, the WI lady said no vanilla and only raspberry jam. 
I liked this sponge, although it was a little 'softer' than usual [Nigella says that is because of the cornflour] Here's the recipe...

Ingredients
For the cake
225g unsalted butter, very soft
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
25g cornflour

1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 tablespoons milk
For the filling
2-4 tablespoons raspberry or other jam, depending on the berries
1 punnet raspberries or berries of choice
125ml double cream
For the topping
1-2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C / gas mark 4. Take two 20cm sandwich tins (about 5cm deep), and buttered them. If the tins are loose-bottomed, you don't need to line them, otherwise do. [yes you DO, I discovered after they were baked]

To make this basic sponge cake in the food processor: put all the ingredients except the milk in the food processor and process till you've got a smooth batter. Then pulse, pouring the milk gradually through the funnel till your cake mixture's a soft, drooping consistency. 

To make it the traditional way (which is what I did): Cream the butter and sugar, add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour between each. Fold in the rest of the flour and the cornflour, adding no baking powder, and when all incorporated, add a little milk as you need.

Pour and scrape the batter into the tins and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cakes are beginning to come away at the edges, are springy to the touch on top and a cake tester comes out clean. Leave the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely. 

When you're ready to eat the cake, put one layer on a plate, right-way up, spread with jam and scatter fruit on top. Whip the cream till it's thickened but still soft and spread over the jammy fruit. Sit the other cake on top, and sprinkle over a tablespoon or so of caster sugar.

Perhaps, when we retire to Norfolk, and I have more free time, I should join the local WI. Do you think they'd have me?