The humble Victoria sponge is quite probably the most quintessential British cake.
Named after Queen Victoria, who was said to regularly enjoy a slice of the cake with her tea, it's now one of the most widely worshipped cakes.
The classic is a favourite at all times of year, but particularly popular during the warmer months when people are looking for something a little lighter on the table.
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But which one is worth splashing out on? We decided to put them to the test, buying the sponge from each of the main supermarkets - Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S and Lidl. It was only Aldi which didn't have one available.
Here's what we thought...
Appearance
A quick glance through the little cellophane window of each box shows how different they are, with the Tesco and Asda ones having plainer tops, the latter barely anything on it at all.
While Lidl, Sainsbury's and M&S all have varying amounts of icing dusted over the top, Tesco and Morrisons are scattered with real sugar, or 'a sweet dusting' as they call it.
They're all a standard circle shape but there are subtle differences, like the dome shape top to Tesco's, Morrisons' jagged edges, giving more of a homemade look to it, and the raised edge around Asda's making it look a little bit like a giant pork pie.
They've all got a layer of jam and cream inside, but it's not that visible on some of them - with Tesco, Lidl and M&S you can hardly see it at all.
Size
With our previous carrot cake, chocolate cake and lemon cake taste tests - can you tell we like cake? - you couldn't really notice much size difference at all, with weights varying from 400g to 430g.
But the size difference with these seems more drastic. They don't actually all state the weight on the boxes, rather unhelpfully, but all promise six portions. With M&S at 460g, Sainsbury's at 345g and the others appearing somewhere in between, it's clear where you're getting a more sizeable slice.
Texture and taste
We've been doing these taste tests long enough to know that picking a winner isn't always that easy.
Everyone's taste buds are different and it's rare to get a unanimous verdict, especially when you've got half a dozen people sampling the goods.
The first thing to note is the two flavours of jam. While it's strawberry in M&S, Tesco and Asda; Sainsbury's, Lidl and Morrisons have gone for raspberry. That alone could be a deciding factor for some people.
Sadly, the dry sponge with the Morrisons one put pay to any idea that it might taste as homemade as it looks, and Tesco's seemed strangely dry in some parts and soggy in others.
Asda's was pretty average - a moist enough sponge - but nobody was overwhelmed with the taste.
In third place was Lidl, which was a good all-rounder but a bit too heavy on the jam and not enough cream.
M&S took second spot, applauded for its buttery sponge, which tasted a lot like Madeira cake. But it was Sainsbury's that pipped it to the top spot.
Not only did we agree it looks most appealing of them all - with cream oozing from the middle - but it tastes nicer too. Its rich buttercream and delicious raspberry jam sandwiched inside a light fluffy sponge.
You really can Taste The Difference, so picking the winner this time really was a piece of cake.
Price
The Sainsbury's sponge might be a bit smaller than the M&S one, but it's cheaper too - especially with the current Nectar card offer bringing it down to £2.
There are regular offers on these kind of products but the usual prices are:
M&S £3.80
- Sainsbury's £3 (£2 with Nectar card)
- Tesco £3 (currently £2.25 with Clubcard)
- Morrisons £2.99 (currently on offer for £2.25)
- Asda £2.95 (currently on offer for £2)
- Lidl £2.39
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