Both types of cake are baked to be light, fluffy, and moist; though the recipes are essentially the same, they take different approaches in the preparation, making them a bit different from each other. For a sponge cake, the air is whipped into the eggs; the foamier they are, the more rise you'll get in the final cake. The Victoria sponge recipes don't require that step and rely instead on baking powder (sometimes baking soda). This reduces the amount of prep time involved.