Everyone likes cake right? I mean sometimes I tell a white lie and say I don’t but I really mean yes, I want a bit of cake.

Baking isn’t really my forte but I’m competitive and stubborn enough that when I put my mind to something I can normally do it well, or at least mess it up a few times then get it totally right on the last go.

I love basic cakes I’m afraid, I’m pretty old school when it comes to them and Victoria sponge has everything I want from a cake (well maybe apart from that really fake icing you get on birthday cakes!).

I once made this for a friend and she managed to have one piece, my flatmate and myself ate the rest with about five cups of tea each. I haven’t made it again in the house only in Mono… I just can't be trusted with cake.

Oh yeah…needs to be tea with this. It doesn’t always have to be beers that go with my recipes. Also, it’s vegan…totally vegan.

You should make this share it amongst your friends (keep a few slices for yourself) and I bet you no one would tell the difference.

The Herald:

Ingredients

Butter cream and jam filling:

150g of margarine or vegetable spread

300g of icing sugar

Tsp of vanilla essence

4tbls of strawberry jam (Make this before you start making the cake and pop it in the fridge to set.

You want it to be quite firm for when you are slicing and for the jam to sit on.)

For the cake base:

400g of self-raising flour

250g of castor sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 tsp of golden syrup

400ml soya milk

115ml vegetable oil

2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

- Pre heat your oven to 180c/gas mark 4

- Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl

- In a jug pour all of the wet ingredients together and whisk till combined

- Mix the wet into the dry ingredients and continue to whisk until completely mixed with no lumps

- Evenly split the mix into your two cake tins and pop them into your over for at least 45 minutes with foil over the top of tins

- Once completely cooked, poke a skewer into the bases to make sure it's not still wet, let the cakes sit for about 20 minutes cooling in the tins then transfer to a wire rack

- Once completely cool, spread jam on one side and the buttercream on the other and gently place the jam side on top of the cream one.

- Press down gently and then sieve icing sugar on top

Pop the kettle on and enjoy!