A Victoria sponge is a British cake made from two vanilla sponge layers filled with raspberry jam and traditionally dusted with icing sugar.
The cake is named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of sponge cake with afternoon tea. Its rise in popularity followed the development of baking powder in the nineteenth century, which helped home cooks produce lighter, more reliable cakes.
Modern recipes often add whipped cream alongside the jam, although the classic description centers on sponge and raspberry jam. The cake is also called a Victoria sandwich or Victoria sandwich cake. It should not be confused with a generic sponge cake, since “Victoria sponge” conventionally refers to this particular filled, two-layer British style.