Britain is known for its iconic Victoria sponge cake, a must have at any party or event. The pudding, named after Queen Victoria, has remained one of the most popular cakes and it is especially popular during the warmer months when people fancy something a bit lighter.
However, since the cake has been around so long there are so many different recipes and versions of this classic dessert. A Manchester Evening News reporter decided to try the Victoria sponge cakes at her local supermarkets to find out which one is worth splashing out on.
She went to Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S and Lidl to buy their cakes, she also went to Aldi but they didn't have one available. Here's what she thought...
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Appearance
It's easy to see how different each of the cakes are just by looking through the small cellophane window, with the cakes from Tesco and Asda being a bit more plain whilst Lidl, Sainsbury's and M&S all have varying amounts of icing dusted over the top. Meanwhile Tesco and Morrisons' cakes 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
Manchester Evening News has previously dont taste tests on other cakes, like lemon and chocolate, but say the size difference in more obvious in Victoria sponges. They don't actually all state the weight on the boxes 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
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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