Classic Victoria sponge cake

I made this with my nephew James for his 9th birthday today.  It's his favourite cake, so we made a really big one - nine inch cake tins, 4 eggs in each - but of course this can be downsized.  You really cannot beat a slice of this while still slightly warm (... but not too hot or the cream will melt out of it like an avalanche!)  

Ingredients

1 lb margarine

1 lb caster sugar

8 eggs

1 lb self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling

150 ml double cream

3 tbsp icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp raspberry/ strawberry jam

To decorate

Icing sugar

Fresh raspberries and cherries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Grease and line two 9 inch round cake tins.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl or jug, beat the eggs thoroughly.
4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition (this should stop it from curdling).
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder from high above the bowl, about a quarter of the flour at a time, and then use a large metal spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones so that you keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
6. Divide the mixture between the prepared and bake for about 25-30 mins until springy when gently touched and a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool in the tins for a minute or so before loosening them around the edges with a palette knife and turning them out on to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
8. While the cakes are cooling, whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence until nice and thick.
9. Place the strawberry jam in a small saucepan and heat gently until runny.
10. Spread the jam over the inside of one of the cakes, top with the whipped cream and then place the other cake on top.  Sift a little icing sugar over the top of the cake and decorate with fresh raspberries and cherries.