Easy School Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 35 Minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
Description
I wanted to share my beloved School Cake Recipe – a throwback to the good old days of 70’s school dinners.  This is a trip down memory lane as I love to recreate  those iconic old-school tray bakes that the dinner ladies made with love.
The aroma of freshly baked sponge cakes wafting through the school corridors, transports me back to a time when puddings were a real treat. My easy School Cake Recipe pays homage to those days when dinner ladies were my heroes, producing these delectable iced sponge cakes from scratch. Â I wasn’t keen on the tapioca pudding which reminded me of frog spawn, but for the most part the dinner ladies knew how to cook fabulous puddings!
To me though, this isn’t just any school cake – it’s a taste of nostalgia, a journey back to when times were simpler. I can remember now the school canteen, eagerly anticipating the moment when the delightful bakes emerged from the oven, in huge stainless steel trays. The memories flood back, and with each bite, I am instantly transported back to a time when they even made pink custard to go with it.
Here, you’ll find the perfect recipe to recreate those cherished school dinner moments. Â The simplicity of the old-school tray bake should not be underrated. Â My School Cake Recipe captures the memories of a precious era to me and many others.
Whether you’re reminiscing about the 70’s or creating new memories, this recipe is your go-to for the ultimate School Cake experience. Â School Cake, the way it should be, just like the good old days.
Ingredients
- 3 Large eggs (ensuring they are room temperature, and take out of the shell and weigh them. … the video shows mine as 170g and so the other ingredients of flour, sugar and butter are to be kept to the same weight.)
- 170g Self Raising Flour
- 170g Butter
- 170g Caster Sugar
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Milk
- 400g Icing Sugar (sieved)
- 80ml milk (approx see instructions)
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Sprinkles (See note below in instructions or video on this)
Instructions
Place your oven to 180°C fan, and line a square baking tin or tray with baking paper.
In a mixer or by hand, place in the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, this could take a few minutes. Â Then add in the vanilla extract, along with 1 beaten egg and a third of the flour. Â Then do this with the other eggs and remaining flour. Â Add the milk in and ensure that it is all mixed and combined without over mixing.
Turn the mixture into the baking tin and cook for around about 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean from the centre.
Once cooked, leave to cool completely in the tin or tray. Â However, if you are short for time for cooling then turn the cake on to a wire rack to speed cooling up. Â However this can make the next step of icing a little messy (but still fun), but it is still achievable as you will see from my video.
To make the Icing, place the icing sugar (sifted), vanilla extract in a bowl, and then add the milk a little bit at time. Â If you make it too runny then it will slide off the cake. Â A heavy thick cream consistency is what you are looking for. Â If it is too thin, don’t panic, but simply add more sieved icing sugar. Â Pour over the top of the cake. Â If you have kept it in the tin, it will contain the icing quite nicely. Â If it is on a wire rack then the icing falls down the side.
Then add the sprinkles on top. Â I would add that I use sprinkles rather than hundreds and thousands bobbles. Â The reason for this is that sprinkles hold into the icing better, whereas some brands of hundreds and thousands, can occasionally disappear and melt into the icing. Â It is your choice of course!
The divide into portions, and serve with custard….. although it’s jolly nice as it is with a cup of tea, and keeps for a few days in a tin. Â That is, if it lasts that long with greedy people about!
Notes
Make sure butter and eggs are at room temperature as that gives a good sponge base. Â Also with the sprinkles (as mentioned above) sprinkles as opposed to hundreds and thousands are generally better for this. Â Depending on brand, some hundreds and thousands just sink and disappear and some even just make the icing a weird colour.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: British
What is the secret to a good cake?
The secret to a good cake comes down to many things, but this list helps get the best sponge in particular!
- Make sure your ingredients like butter and eggs are at room temperature
- Proper measurements for baking is helpful, as some cakes are more like science
- Ensure any items like self raising flour, or baking powder or bicarbonate of soda are IN DATE. You would be shocked at how many people drag ingredients like this out of the back of the cupboard, and still expect them to work, even though they are well out of date!
- Pay attention to the recipe, as some cake recipes do not like to be over-mixed and some need more mixing.
- Don’t keep opening your oven if you are making a sponge as that affects the heat. Check through the oven glass door as much as you can.
How many calories in a school cake?
My recipe is around 480 calories, but that is because the cake is cut into 9 good sized slabs. You could half one of these portions, but I am firmly of the mind that if you are going to have cake, then just enjoy it!
Published by