I've been practicing for the all-new category of
Classic Victoria Sandwich this week. I started with the oldest recipe I had which is this one here:
Isabella Beeton is one of the most famous cookery writers in British history. The Book of Household Management, first published in 1861, was a best-seller and a guide to how to run a household in Victorian Britain.
Time: 20 mins
Serves 5-6
Ingredients
4 eggs; their weight in pounded sugar, butter and flour; 1/4 spoonful of salt, a layer of any kind of jam or marmalade.
1. Beat the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour and pounded sugar; stir these ingredients well together, and add the eggs, which should be previously thoroughly whisked.
2. When the mixture has been well beaten for about 10 minutes, butter a Yorkshire-pudding tin, pour in the batter, and bake it in a moderate oven for 20 minutes.
3. Let it cool, spread one half of the cake with a layer of nice preserve, place over it the other half of the cake, press the pieces slightly together, and then cut it into long finger-pieces; pile them in cross bars on a glass dish, and serve.
Recipe taken from Mrs. Beeton's Cookery and Household Management, Isabella Beeton [1874] London.