Serve up some nostalgia with this School Cake, a fluffy vanilla sponge covered in icing and hundreds of sprinkles! Enjoy it alone or with hot custard, like the good old days.
School Cake goes by a few names, including Sprinkles Cake, Retro School Cake, School Dinner Cake, Old School Cake and more. After our main meal at school, it was traditionally served as a pudding with hot custard.
I want to say that I had fond memories of school dinners, but unfortunately, my time was before Jamie Oliver came in and shook everything up. But a good old sponge tray baked with sprinkles was and still is one of my favourites.
If you want to try another old-fashioned sponge cake - check out my recipe for Tottenham Cake!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Anything covered in sprinkles is okay with us!
- Enough portions to feed a crowd.
- Simple to make with basic ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients
Note: The full ingredients and quantities are shown in the recipe card below.
Key Ingredients
- Butter - use unsalted butter softened at room temperature.
- Caster sugar - also known as superfine sugar.
- Eggs - use large eggs at room temperature.
- Self-raising flour - also known as self-rising flour.
- Icing Sugar - also known as confectioners sugar / powdered sugar.
- Sprinkles - any kind will do; the more colourful, the better!
How to Make School Cake
Note: This is a summary of the instructions. The full ingredients and instructions are shown in the recipe card below.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. The mixture may split, but it will come together later and not affect the cake.
- Sift in the flour and gently fold it into the batter.
- Don't overmix, or the cake will be dense. Scoop the batter into the tin and level the top with a spoon. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. It's ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
How to Decorate School Cake
When the cake is baked, leave it in the tin for 10 minutes to cool down. After 10 minutes, carefully turn the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, add a little water to the icing sugar so it is runny enough to pour. Place some baking paper on a large tray, then place the rack with the cake on it to catch any dribbles.
Pour the icing over the cake and sprinkle generously with sprinkles. Leave to set before cutting into portions.
Recipe Variations
For pink icing, add a drop of red or pink food colouring.
Serving Suggestions
School cake is typically served with custard, which can be made pink by adding a small drop of food colouring.
Common Questions
Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within three days.
Yes, put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until the icing is stiff. Remove from the freezer and cover the cake with 2 layers of plastic wrap. Return to the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
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📖 Recipe
School Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Use a slice/brownie tin measuring approximately 27.5cm (11") x 17.5cm (7") x 3.5cm (1½").
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 175 g caster sugar, also known as superfine sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 175 g self-raising flour, also known as self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing
- 200 g icing sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, or powdered sugar
- 50 g sprinkles, any type such as hundreds and thousands
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C / 350°F and line a shallow rectangular tin with baking paper/parchment paper. Use a tin measuring approximately 27.5cm (11") x 17.5cm (7") x 3.5cm (1½").
- In a large bowl, mix the softened butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. This takes approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat in the eggs one at a time. The mixture might split, but will come together later on.
- Sift in the flour, and fold into the batter until well combined (don't over-mix). Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the top with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the Icing and Sprinkles
- Place the icing into a bowl and add enough water so it's runny enough to pour. Mix well until there are no lumps.
- Leave the cake on the wire rack and place it over a baking tray lined with baking paper to catch any dribbles. Drizzle the icing over the cake until it's completely covered, and generously sprinkle over the sprinkles. Leave to set, then cut into slices.
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