Pinkies up! It’s afternoon tea week in the UK. Every now and then, tea deserves an extra fancy ritual and today I’m serving it with a quintessentially British dessert, with a twist. 
Did you know that I lived in the UK for two years? One of the best afternoon teas I’ve had was with my good friend Paola for her birthday, in a beautiful countryside setting, overlooking an English garden. Yes, it’s a fancy affair, but in the end it boils down to making time to sit down and spend time with the people you truly care about.
What tea would you serve with this cake? I think it would be perfect with matcha but feel free to be more traditional ;-)

Matcha Victoria Sponge Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients:
6 oz / 175 gr all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 oz / 175 gr butter, softened
6 oz / 175 gr sugar
3 eggs
Confectioners’ sugar

Filling:
16 fresh strawberries, halved or sliced
1 cup (8 oz) / 230 gr vanilla Greek yogurt  
½ cup / 120 ml whipping cream
2½ teaspoons confectioners' sugar or to taste
2-3 teaspoons matcha, sifted and dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

First, make the filling. Whip cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks form. Carefully fold in yogurt, along with matcha mixture. Store in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Grease and line an8 inch (20 cm) cake pan. Beat the butter until soft then add the sugar and beat until fluffy and creamy. Add one egg at a time. Sift flour and baking powder together and add gradually beating until smooth. Pour the mixture in the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden brown and the cake springs back to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and peel off the lining paper. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cake in two layers. Spread the matcha filling with a spatula, top with strawberry slices, sandwich the second cake layer on top and dust with confectioners' sugar. 

Cake recipe adapted from the book Afternoon Tea. A British Classic by Love Food TM. Recipe for the filling adapted from this recipe here.