Nostalgic Old School Cake Recipe

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Now regulars here will know how much I love cake and baking, but I am going to put it out here, this old school cake recipe is up there with the best.

I don’t think there is a better combination than a fluffy cake topped with icing and sprinkles.

Now for those reading from outside the UK, you may be wondering what I am talking about. This retro school cake takes me backhttps://thefamilycookbook.co.uk/chocolate-loaf-cake/ to primary school and even to this day, they still serve this as a pudding weekly in most schools! It is essentially a vanilla sponge cake topped with a simple icing and lots of sprinkles. Yet this simple sprinkle cake still brings a smile to lots of people’s faces as it takes them back in time.

Let me share the easy recipe first before we get back to how amazing this cake is.

School cake recipe

Cake ingredients –

• 300g Butter or margarine at room temperature
• 300g Caster sugar
• 300g Self-raising flour
• 5 Large eggs
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Icing ingredients –

• 500g Icing sugar
• 5 Tbs boiling water
• Sprinkles

Instructions –

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 180c.
• Line an 8 by 15-inch tin with greaseproof paper/parchment paper. I used this tin from Emma Bridgwater as it was all I had that was suitable.
• Mix to get the butter and sugar in a stand mixer (this can be done in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or hand whisk)
• Add in your eggs, self-raising flour and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
• Pour the cake mixture into your pre-lined tin and give a little shake to even out.
• Pop it in the centre of your oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
• Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool completely, this is the longest part, the wait!
• Once cooled, mix the icing and add 1 tbs boiling water at a time. You want the consistency thick enough to hold but running enough to spread.
• Transfer the cake to the wire cooling rack and cover the icing across the top of your cake.
• Sprinkle those sprinkles as much as you want and leave it to set at room temperature.
• Slice into 16 equal slices and enjoy.

If you would like a printable recipe card, you can find this below.

I would put this old school pudding in the category of the school pizza we used to get, every kid that has gone through the education system in the UK since the 80s will recognise both of these.

When I was in school, we used to see this classic school cake weekly, alongside a chocolate cake that they served with chocolate custard. It didn’t get much better on those school days!

What other flavours can you make this school cake?

This cake recipe is a simple bake, using the same sponge mix that I use for fairy cakes and Victoria sponge cakes, it is all about the portions. So for every 225g of flour, you want the same for butter and sugar. Combine that with 2 eggs each time and you are on to a winner, no matter what flavour you are going for.

If you choose to go for a traybake tin, you could easily make this cake any flavour you want. Substitute 25g flour for every 225g for either coco powder for the chocolate version or coconut, depending on your flavour preference. You could also keep the original flavour but switch out the vanilla extract for lemon if you wanted a different flavour.

For those that want to just stick with the easy cake recipe, you can change the icing with a little food colouring and maybe go for some pink icing with rainbow sprinkles or even try a marbled icing.

Cooking tips!

When you give this recipe a go, there are a few things to consider to make sure you cook your cake to perfection.

Oven temperature –

Everyone’s ovens cook slightly differently, so it is worth keeping an eye on your cake through the door. Try to avoid opening the oven door when possible as every time it gets opened, it does affect the temperature too. You could use an oven thermometer if you would prefer but I just go based on how it looks!

If you know your oven is a little temperamental, make adjustments based on what you know, if it cooks too quickly at the top of the oven, move it down. If you have a fan oven, take this into consideration when it comes to the baking time. This is an easy recipe to recreate the classic school cake traybake, so trust your instincts.

Baking tin –

Don’t become too stuck on the baking tin you use, if yours is a little bigger, just reduce the time a little as the cake will be a little thinner than the one I made. Use a judgement on the timing based on the bake, colour and if a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake.

This recipe does make spongy cakes, so it may take a little longer to cook than anticipated, but don’t panic it will be worth the wait.