Ingredients:
8oz/225g Stork Margarine or Butter softened
8oz/225g Caster Sugar
4 Large eggs at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
6¼oz/175g self-raising flour sifted
2oz/50g ground almond
1 tbsp. milk at room temperature
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C Fan or 180C. Gas mark 4. Put margarine or butter into mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until very smooth and creamy.
Gradually mix in the sugar until the mixture turns almost white and becomes very fluffy in texture.
Break eggs into a small bowl add the vanilla and beat lightly with a fork, just to break them up. Slowly add to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time, giving the mixture a good beating after each addition scraping down the bowl. If it looks as if it is about to curdle, add a tablespoon of sifted flour and then continue adding the last portion of egg.
Stir in the ground almond to the sifted flour and put onto the mixture, and add the milk. Gently fold the flour into the egg mixture either with a large metal spoon or in mixer – Lightly as possible so not to knock out the air.
Spoon the mixture into two 20.5cm sandwich tins, greased and the base lined with baking paper.
Spread the mixture evenly in the tins
Bake for 20 - 25 mins. or until golden brown and the sponges are springy when gently pressed.
Remove the tins from the oven and leave to cool a while to contract from edges of tin, Run a round bladed knife around the edge to loosen sponge then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.
Set one sponge upside down onto cake stand and spread with jam of choice. Gently set other sponge crusty side up, on top Dust with caster sugar.