Not Victoria’s Sandwich

IC XC
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NI KA

I’ve always liked the look of “Victoria Sponge” and when YouTube spun up this video just before Pascha, I decided this would be the time. “Sponge cake is the basis for many other cakes. So it’s worth getting it right.” I’d never made one. So off we go.

Three pre-recipes are needed:

First, how to make the cake: this BBC page has the easiest one I’ve found. I used my standing mixer.

I make my own Cheese Pascha… that involves making my own raw-milk sweet farmer’s cheese – tvorog – or, for more tangy notes, I will make my own quark. In either case, as you’re simmering the milk, split a vanilla bean and put it in. I opted for quark this year. Then I made Cheese Pascha. I use my own recipe for this, but basically it’s the homemade cheese, to which I add some sugar, Irish butter, mascarpone, sour cream (this year it was Oaxacan Crema) and raw, pasture-raised eggs. (Yes, I know, raw milk, raw eggs. No one died.)

It took about three-fourths of my batch to fill my Pascha mould. If you’re wondering why there are not photos, it’s because it slumped and it was very not pretty. It tasted good though! Anyway, the other quarter of the patch, I sat aside for today’s project with the sponge.

No, I did not use the traditional custart and strawberries. Instead…

1. 1 took some dried tart cherries and soaked them in a dry red wine for about 2 weeks until they were fat and juicy again.

2. Then I simmered most of them in their wine-cherry juice until it was thick and sweet and the cherries were breaking up a bit.

3. Meanwhile I made my sponge, which needed to cool completely. Then I split it in half. You see where this is going already.

4. Cherries on one side, cheese on the other. Like a PB&J but not…

5. Then put them together.

It hasn’t a name. But it’s not Victoria Sponge now. It should probably be named after Victoria’ Orthodox Granddaughter, the martyr, St Elizabeth. May she pray for us!