Retro School Dinner Cake
User Reviews
4.7
Retro School Dinner Cake
Description
This Retro School Dinner Cake blends all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking agents with softened butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla to produce a smooth batter. Baking at a moderate temperature in a rectangular pan, the cake develops a golden crust and a springy, moist interior. Testing doneness involves checking that a skewer comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the pan edges. Cooling the cake before icing is essential to avoid melting the topping. The vanilla icing, thinned with water, and sprinkled with colorful candy decorations add a sweet finish reminiscent of school-era treats.
The cake’s stable texture and straightforward flavor make it well-suited for slicing into neat portions for sharing. Its nostalgic style calls back to simple celebrations and is easy to transport. It pairs well with tea or milk for an afternoon treat.
For even batter, use room-temperature ingredients. Temper cooler ingredients by warming milk to tepid and letting eggs rest in warm water briefly. Avoid opening the oven early to maintain consistent baking temperature. Adjustments to baking powder may be needed if using self-raising flour. Timing and doneness cues are important to ensure a moist yet fully cooked crumb.
Ingredients
- 350 g plain flour all purpose flour or cake flour, 2¾ cups
- 330 g sugar caster or granulated, 1 ⅔ cups
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- ½ tsp salt omit if you are using margarine
- 200 g butter or margarine, softened
- 3 egg large
- 180 ml milk room temperature, 3/4 cup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
For the icing & decoration
- 455 g icing sugar powdered sugar) preferably sifted, 3 ½ cups
- water as needed to thin the icing
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkles hundreds and thousands variety
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Line a rectangular tin (mine was 23x29cm) with baking paper letting the edges hang over the sides.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda in a large mixing bowl. If you can be bothered then sift everything into the bowl to aerate the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter or margarine (room temperature please!).
- Start beating at lowest speed setting until ingredients come together. Increase the speed to maximum and beat until the batter is completely smooth - about 30 seconds to one minute.
- Transfer to a rectangular baking tray 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 then carefully invert so that you add glaze to the flat side. If the cake has domed while baking, level using a large serrated knife. This is likely to happen if your baking tray is a tad too small.
- 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!
Notes
- Use room-temperature ingredients including butter, eggs, and milk to achieve a smooth, unified batter without curdling.
- If milk is refrigerated, warm it briefly until just tepid before use; cold eggs can be warmed by resting in warm water for five minutes.
- Set a timer slightly before the end of the baking time and avoid opening the oven early to maintain heat and proper rise.
- The cake is done when the top springs back lightly, edges pull away slightly, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with moisture-free crumbs.
- If using self-raising flour instead of plain flour, reduce baking powder to half a teaspoon and omit baking soda.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 20slices
Amount Per Serving
Calories 310 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 310kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 55g | 18% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 47mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 226mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 103mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 41g | 82% |
| Vitamin A | 300IU | 6% |
| Calcium | 45mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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