"The classic British sponge is a light and fluffy cake made with equal parts of butter, sugar and flour, beaten together with eggs. A popular way to serve sponge cake is to sandwich it with jam and sweetened whipped cream – this is the method you will find in the recipe below. The combination is said to originate with Queen Victoria, who enjoyed her cakes split and spread with a layer of jam. The Victoria sandwich has since become a staple of tearooms, bakeries and cafés, and an iconic cake for all occasions." Recipe extracts taken from The British Cookbook, published by Phaidon $74.95, on sale now.

"A delicately assembled, layered dessert featuring sherry-soaked sponge, custard, jam and jelly (flavoured gelatine) and cream, the trifle is the centrepiece of summertime celebrations and Yuletide tables alike. While it’s easy for the trifle to look pretty inside a serving bowl, it’s important to ensure that each layer maintains its shape, so that you get a little of each in every bite. Such is the depth of admiration for and significance of the trifle that noted food writers Helen Saberi and Alan Davidson co-wrote a small volume called Trifle, published in 2001, solely on the topic." Recipe extracts taken from The British Cookbook, published by Phaidon $74.95, on sale now.

"Crisp and rather lacy wafers, brandy snaps are baked flat and rolled while they are still warm and pliable. Despite their name, the brandy in both the biscuit (cookie) and the cream filling are optional – many recipes leave both out completely." Recipe extracts taken from The British Cookbook, published by Phaidon $74.95, on sale now.

"A Battenberg cake seems a rather involved and elaborate task – an alternating pink and yellow sponge, neatly layered with jam and then carefully wrapped in marzipan. But broken down there’s a lot less to fear, provided you take your time. Perhaps home bakers of the late nineteenth century had a bit more patience, as this cake was quite popular in Victorian baking books, where it often ran under a more telling name – ‘Chapel Windows’. Unfortunately, despite plenty of speculation – including a Victorian wedding – there’s no accepted story behind the famous Battenberg name." Recipe extracts taken from The British Cookbook, published by Phaidon $74.95, on sale now.

"A steamed sponge pudding that’s speckled with currants and lightly spiced with cinnamon, the spotted dick has been made in much the same way since it first appeared in Alexis Soyer’s A Shilling Cookery for The People in 1845. Its enduring appeal is easy to understand: served warm and with plenty of custard, it is simple and soothing." Recipe extracts taken from The British Cookbook, published by Phaidon $74.95, on sale now.