Gluten free & dairy free Victoria Sponge cake recipe

This is an easy recipe for Victoria sponge cake, a classic tea time treat. But we make ours gluten free and also dairy free. This recipe is easy though, and I promise it works.

A traditional Victoria sponge is often made using the “weigh the eggs” method because it creates a naturally balanced cake recipe without needing complicated measurements. The principle is simple: weigh the eggs in their shells, then use the same weight of butter, sugar, and self-raising flour. This keeps the proportions consistent and helps produce the light, even texture that a classic Victoria sponge is known for.

Eggs vary in size, and older recipes were written before standardised egg grading became common. Using the eggs as the reference point ensured reliable results regardless of whether the baker had small, medium, or large eggs available. If the eggs are heavier, the cake mixture needs more flour, sugar, and fat to support the additional liquid and structure. If the eggs are lighter, reducing the other ingredients prevents the sponge from becoming dense or dry.

This ratio also reflects the science of cake making. Eggs provide structure and moisture, butter adds richness, sugar helps tenderness and aeration, and flour provides stability. Keeping them in equal balance allows the sponge to rise properly while remaining soft and delicate.

The method remains popular because it is simple, adaptable, and consistently produces a well-balanced traditional sponge cake.

My gluten free recipe follows that principle using gluten free flour and if you are dairy free you can use a dairy free spread instead of butter. 

 You will need:

• 5 eggs, whole in shells. Weigh them, then base all the weights of the other ingredients on that. I have never done this before, it works beautifully.
• Caster sugar
• Gluten-free self-raising flour (we used Doves Farm)
• dairy-free spread (you could use butter, or margarine, if dairy isn’t an issue)
• Good quality strawberry jam
• Icing sugar
• two 8 inch round baking tins, greased and lined.
• pre heat your oven at 180 degrees.

Method:

Cream the spread together, with the sugar, until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, and flour and beat until fluffy and well mixed.

Pour the batter into the baking tins, and bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden, and a cake skewer comes out clean

Remove from tins, allow to cool

Traditionally a Victoria sponge cake is made with good jam and whipped cream sandwiched together. If you are opting for dairy free, there are good dairy free alternative creams available now which can be whipped until thick and fluffy like normal cream. You can also just opt for lots of jam or you can use a buttercream if you want to opt for a slightly sweeter filling. You can decorate the cake with fruit, strawberries or raspberries work beautifully, or you can simply dust with icing sugar. If you use cream in the filling this will keep in the fridge for 48 hours or in an air tight container if you just use jam. Not that it last that long in our house… We also have a gluten free cupcake/cake recipe if you want a basic recipe that works too.