School Cake (Sprinkle Tray Bake) (2024)

This School Cake topped with a simple glaze and sprinkles is just the simple nostalgic bake we all need right now! Easy to make all in one bowl and delicious served plain or with warm vanilla custard.

Love this cake but wish it was chocolatey? Try my Chocolate School Cake!

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Looking for an easy cake that will feed a crowd and make you feel all nostalgic at the same time? This simple sprinkle cake is guaranteed to remind those of a certain age of their school days.

Actually, it’s still served as “pudding” at my kids primary school – sliced into squares and served with custard so I guess its popularity hasn’t waned.

It’s easy to see why this tray bake cake is served at schools – one batch can serve up to 20 (!) plus it is DELICIOUS! Fancy making it?

Old School Cake

This cake goes by many names including School Cake, School Dinner Cake, sprinkle tray bake, or old school pudding (much like this Tottenham Cake).

It is a simple vanilla tray bake covered in a thick white icing once cooled and then liberally sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.

School cake is delicious served with custard (like this old school dinner favourite Chocolate Concrete…. so YUM) or simply sliced into squares. If you don’t want to make a tray bake then give my Vanilla Loaf Cake a go!

All-in-one Sponge Cake

The vanilla sprinkle cake is fluffy and buttery and very easy to make even if baking is not your thing!

All you have to do is beat all the ingredients together in one large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. I call this my “one bowl bake” method 🙂

The ingredients all have to be at room temperature – this is important! – so make sure you use softened butter and allow eggs / milk to warm up before using. Your batter is likely to split and look curdled if any of the ingredients are cold.

Ialways rely on adigital scaleto measure my ingredients. Accurate measurements are especially important when it comes to measuring baking powder or soda – invest in some measuring spoons.

Butter Or Margarine?

I usually opt for butter in my cake recipes but I would recommend using margarine (Stork) in this school cake recipe. For one thing it is soft even straight out of the fridge so easier to mix and more purse friendly.

Which flour?

I use plain flour (all purpose flour) with both baking powder and soda to give the cake lift. You can also use self raising flour – see notes in recipe card. Make sure that your flour and raising agents are FRESH though. I once made this cake with baking powder that was a year out of date and it was a (literal) flop.

Get the icing just right

The glaze is made simply with icing sugar and a little water. I like to also add vanilla extract but that’s optional. The icing needs to be quite thick otherwise it will simply run off your cake!

The trick is to add just enough water and keep mixing until the glaze drops off your spoon slowly, like honey would. If it is too thin you can simply add more icing sugar. Too thick? Add water, a few DROPS at a time, until you have the right consistency.

HOW TO MAKE SCHOOL CAKE

Full measurements and instructions can be found on theprintable recipe cardat the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. If you can be bothered then sift everything into the bowl to aerate the dry ingredients. Mix together with a balloon whisk to combine. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter or margarine (room temperature please!).

Start beating at lowest speed setting until the ingredients start to come together.I used my KitchenAid hand mixer but you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Gradually increase the speed to maximum and beat until the batter is completely smooth – about 30 seconds to one minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through.

Transfer to a 9×13 rectangular baking tray (I love my Wilton traybake tin) lined with paper and level using a spatula. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is golden and feels springy to the touch. A skewer or knife inserted in the centre should come out clean – if not cook for a further 5 minutes.

Leave the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before adding the glaze. If the cake is just cool as opposed to cold the icing will simply slide off!

Make the icing and decorate

Mix the icing sugar with just enough water to make a thick pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cake, letting it drip down the sides (you might want to do this over a large roasting tin to catch any excess glaze).

Add sprinkles and leave the glaze to set slightly before slicing and sharing. You can serve with a little warm custard (I used tinned custard) for an extra slice of nostalgia!

TIPS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How do I know my school cake is baked? Oven temperatures can vary so you need to rely on visual cues not just the recommended baking time. This sponge cake is JUST RIGHT when evenly risen and golden, springy to the touch and just coming away from the edges of the tin.

• Levelling your cake: If the cake has domed while baking, level using a large serrated knife. This is likely to happen if the baking tin is a tad too small or the oven is too hot. You can always flip the cake over (carefully!) so that you add the glaze to the FLAT side.

• Help, my cake has a dip in the middle! Your cake is not quite ready yet. Bake for an additional five minutes then check again. Repeat until you are confident the cake is ready. Avoid opening the oven door too often though – this will cause a drop in oven temperature.

• Avoid cake explosions… If you are usingself raising flourthen add only half a teaspoon of baking powder and no baking soda. You don’t want to double up on raising agents!

• How long will school cake keep? This sponge tray bake stays wonderfully fresh for up to four days at room temperature, in a covered cake container. It is best when freshly baked, as with all cakes.

Simple bakes

These classic bakes are a trip down memory lane! Easy to make and perfect for sharing.

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