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–+ servings
cut squares of school cake on a tray with a small bowl of extra sprinkles amongst the squares

School Cake

Robyn
Take a trip back in time with this retro school cake! Vanilla sponge is topped with icing and sprinkles to make this traybake that will bring back childhood memories.
4.94 from 15 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course baking
Cuisine British
Servings 20 squares
Calories 231 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs weighed in the shell. Mine weighed 242g
  • 242 g margarine or butter softened
  • 242 g white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence or vanilla bean paste
  • 242 g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Icing

  • 200g (2½ c) icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
  • cold water
  • sprinkles / 100s and 1000s

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan / 180˚C / 320˚F convection / 356˚F
  • Line a 20cm x 27cm (8" x 6") tin with baking paper / baking parchement
  • Weigh the four eggs in their shells and use this amount for the margarine/butter, white sugar and plain flour.
  • Cream the margarine and sugar with vanilla until pale and fluffy (you can do this by hand with a spoon or in a food processor).
  • Mix the flour with baking powder.
  • Add one egg to the margarine / sugar and stir lightly before adding ¼ of the flour.
  • Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour.
  • Add 1 tablespoon milk and mix, adding a little more if the mixture looks dry - it should just drop off the spoon.
  • Spoon in to the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • When completely cold, prepare the icing: sift the icing sugar / confectioners sugar in to a bowl and add a little water at a time, until you get a smooth thick icing.
  • Spoon the icing over the cake then sprinkle with sprinkles straight away whilst the icing is wet.
  • Cut in to pieces and enjoy!
  • Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Notes

Flour – plain flour or all purpose flour
Margarine – as this is a retro cake recipe I have used margarine, as I am pretty confident that is what would be used back in my school days! You can use unsalted butter if you prefer, however it will alter the taste and texture ever so slightly. It will make a delicious vanilla sponge tray bake, but if you are after that old school taste you won’t get it with butter.
Sugar – white sugar or granulated sugar.
Eggs – size large.
Vanilla extract – or vanilla essence if you want to stick with the school theme. Provides that lovely vanilla sponge taste.
Icing sugar – confectioners sugar. I prefer to use pure icing sugar.
Sprinkles - aka hundreds and thousands, sugar strands.
Don’t over mix the batter. Stop mixing when the flour and egg have just been combined in to the mixture, and then the same with the milk.
The icing should be thick. If it’s too runny it will run off the sides of the cake. If you add too much water and the icing is too runny, sift in a little more icing sugar / confectioners sugar.
Have the sprinkles ready to sprinkle over the icing as it will soon dry enough and the sprinkles can fall off, and your old school tray bake will not look as colourful!
Smaller square cake: You can make this tray bake cake in an 20 cm x 20 cm (8″ x 8″) square tin. Use three eggs, weigh them and use this amount for the flour, sugar and margarine. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 170mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 482IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
Keyword retro cake, school sponge cake, sponge tray bake, sprinkle cake

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