Yahoo Movies Former Royal Chef Reveals Her Treasured Christmas Gift From Queen Elizabeth
In this episode of Royal Eats, former royal chef Carolyn Robb makes one of the most popular English desserts ever: a Victoria sandwich. This cake dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria and remains a mainstay on afternoon tea menus for the Royal family. It's also traditionally served around the holidays.
Robb first met the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day. The Queen handed gifts to each member of the staff, including lavender-scented soap for Robb. She treasured the present for several years before even using it.
After working for the Royal Family for two years, Robb began attending the annual Royal Christmas ball, which was typically hosted at either Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace. She often brought members of her own family to celebrate—and even to meet the Royal family. Just like she did with her gift from the Queen, Robb holds on to her Christmas ball invitations as keepsakes.
In honor of her wonderful Christmas memories with the Royal family, Robb walks us through this classic holiday dessert. She builds the Victoria sandwich by baking a classic sponge cake, but her recipe has an extra hint of holiday flair. In addition to the traditional vanilla flavoring she also adds orange zest, cinnamon, and stem ginger (ginger root cooked in syrup).
And it wouldn't be a Victoria sandwich without cream and jam in the center. Robb uses
mascarpone to enrich the whipped cream, which is stacked on top of a thick layer of blackberry jam. The cake is decorated with more cream and fresh fruit on top. And, as an homage to King Charles and his prolific garden at Highgrove, Robb arranges plenty of fresh herbs as a garnish.
She also gives us a few baking tips that she always follows. Firstly, she always cracks eggs into a separate bowl before adding them to her batter—because you never want to bite down on a piece of egg shell. Secondly, she makes sure to leave a small divot in the center of the batter when spreading it in the cake pan. With this technique, the finished cakes come out perfectly even instead of domed in the middle.
Bake this Victoria sandwich and you'll have a show-stopping holiday centerpiece.
Previously on Royal Eats: Former Royal Chef Bakes A Crown-Shaped Pavlova In Honor Of Princess Diana
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