Make this easy jam and coconut school cake with soft vanilla sponge, raspberry jam and coconut. A nostalgic British traybake, delicious with hot custard.
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Jam and Coconut School Cake | Easy Old Fashioned Traybake
- Total Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Old Fashioned Jam and Coconut Traybake
There are some cakes that instantly take you back to school dinners, and jam and coconut cake has to be one of them.
I actually spotted some in a supermarket recently, already cut into four little squares, and couldn’t quite believe how expensive it was. For the life of me, I couldn’t work out why. This is one of the simplest cakes you can make!
It’s basically a lovely soft vanilla sponge topped with raspberry jam and a generous scattering of desiccated coconut. No fancy ingredients, no buttercream to make, no piping bags and certainly no complicated decorating.
So naturally I came home thinking, I’m making that myself.
And that’s exactly what this recipe is. A good old fashioned jam and coconut traybake, cut into generous squares just as I remember it.
You can quite happily eat a square cold with a cup of tea, but warm it slightly and pour hot custard over the top and we’re firmly back in school dinner pudding territory.
I’ve made quite a few old fashioned puddings and bakes over the years, and they always seem to bring back memories for people. We might have forgotten what we did in double maths on a Tuesday afternoon, but somehow we can still remember what was served for pudding!
Best of all, this makes a whole tray. So if you’ve also stood in a supermarket looking at four little squares of jam and coconut cake and wondered how they could possibly cost that much, this one’s for you.
Here are my amazon affiliate links I may receive a commission but that wont affect the price you pay. It is a way of supporting me so I can keep doing free recipe content!
Baking Tray : https://link.amazon/B01SUrvxU
Kitchenaid mixer: https://link.amazon/B008Atzl0
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 225g self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
For the Topping
- 150g raspberry jam
- 50g desiccated coconut
To Serve (Optional)
- Hot vanilla custard
Instructions
1. Prepare Your Tin
- Preheat your oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan.
- Grease and line a rectangular baking tin approximately 23 x 30cm with baking paper. Leave a little paper overhanging the sides to make lifting the cake out easier.
2. Cream the Butter and Sugar
- Place the softened butter and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl.
- Beat together using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy.
- This helps incorporate air into the mixture, giving you a lovely soft sponge.
3. Add the Eggs
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- If the mixture looks as though it’s starting to curdle, add a spoonful of your measured flour and continue mixing.
- Add the vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the Flour
- Gently fold in the self raising flour until just combined.
- Add the milk and mix gently until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Try not to overmix at this stage because we want a lovely light sponge.
5. Bake the Cake
- Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and spread it evenly into the corners.
- Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden, springs back lightly when touched and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Ovens do vary, so keep an eye on it towards the end of the cooking time.
6. Allow to Cool
- Leave the cake in its tin for around 10 minutes before carefully lifting it onto a wire rack.
- Allow it to cool until just slightly warm or completely cold before adding the topping.
7. Add the Jam and Coconut
- Give the raspberry jam a good stir to loosen it.
- If your jam is particularly thick, warm it very gently for a few seconds so it’s easier to spread without pulling at the sponge.
- Spread the jam generously and evenly over the top of the cake, going right to the edges.
- Sprinkle over the desiccated coconut, making sure you get a lovely even covering.
- Leave it for a few minutes to allow the coconut to settle into the jam.
8. Slice and Serve
- Cut into approximately 12 generous squares.
- Serve at room temperature with a cup of tea, or gently warm an individual portion and pour over some hot vanilla custard.
- Personally, I think the custard makes it even better!
Notes
Use proper butter. I much prefer using butter in my cakes because of the flavour it gives. Make sure it’s softened before you start so it creams nicely with the sugar.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once you’ve added the flour, mix only until everything is combined. Overmixing can give you a heavier sponge.
Use a good layer of jam. You want to taste the raspberry jam, not just use it as glue for the coconut. If you particularly love jam, there’s nothing wrong with adding a little extra.
Warm thick jam before spreading. This makes such a difference. Cold, stiff jam can pull at the surface of your sponge, whereas slightly warmed jam spreads much more easily.
Don’t add the topping to a piping hot cake. Allow the sponge to cool first so the jam stays nicely on top rather than soaking too far into the cake.
Try it with custard. It’s lovely as an everyday cake, but warm custard transforms it into a proper old fashioned pudding.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
What Jam Is Best for Jam and Coconut Cake?
I prefer raspberry jam because its slightly sharp flavour works beautifully with the sweet vanilla sponge and coconut.
However, strawberry jam works just as well.
If you’ve already got a jar of strawberry jam open in the fridge, there’s really no need to buy raspberry especially.
Can I Serve Jam and Coconut School Cake Warm?
Absolutely, and it’s delicious served this way.
I would recommend adding the jam and coconut once the cake has cooled, then gently warming individual portions when you’re ready to serve them.
Add hot custard and you’ve got a lovely traditional British pudding.
Can I Freeze Jam and Coconut Cake?
Yes, the sponge freezes very well.
For the best results, I recommend freezing the cake before adding the jam and coconut.
Wrap the cooled sponge well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly at room temperature before adding the topping.
You can also freeze individual finished squares, although the coconut topping may lose a little of its original texture.
Is Jam and Coconut Cake the Same as School Cake?
Jam and coconut cake is one of the traditional cakes many people remember from British school dinners.
Another popular version is vanilla sponge topped with white icing and colourful sprinkles.
Both are often referred to as school cake, but this version uses raspberry jam and desiccated coconut instead of icing.
It’s a lovely example of how something so simple can bring back so many childhood memories.