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Retro School Dinner Cake

This old fashioned school cake topped with a simple glaze and sprinkles is just the simple retro bake we all need right now! Easy to make all in one bowl and delicious served plain or with warm vanilla custard. Make sure all your cake ingredients are at room temperature before starting this recipe.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 310 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 350 g ( 2¾ cups) plain flour (all purpose flour or cake flour)
  • 330 g (1 ⅔ cups) sugar caster or granulated
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt omit if you are using margarine
  • 200 g (7/8 cup) softened butter or margarine
  • 3 large eggs
  • 180 ml (¾ cup) milk room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
For the icing & decoration
  • 455 g (3 ½ cups) icing sugar (powdered sugar) preferably sifted
  • water, as needed to thin the icing
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • hundreds and thousands sprinkles

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Line a rectangular tin (mine was 23x29cm) with baking paper letting the edges hang over the sides.
  2. 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!).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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).
  7. 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

  • Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter eggs and milk should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.
  • If your milk is cold from the fridge then heat briefly in the microwave or saucepan until just tepid. Make sure the milk is body temperature - not too hot!
  • Place cold eggs into warm water for five minutes to bring them back to room temperature.
  • Cut cold butter into cubes and leave for an hour on your counter to warm up or use margarine.
  • Oven temperatures can vary so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! - to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.  
  • If you are using self raising flour then add only half a teaspoon of baking powder (no baking soda).
  • Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter eggs and milk should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.
  • If your milk is cold from the fridge then heat briefly in the microwave or saucepan until just tepid. Make sure the milk is body temperature - not too hot!
  • Place cold eggs into warm water for five minutes to bring them back to room temperature.
  • Cut cold butter into cubes and leave for an hour on your counter to warm up or use margarine.
  • Oven temperatures can vary so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! - to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.  

Nutrition Information

Calories 310kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 226mg (9%) Potassium 103mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 41g (82%) Vitamin A 300IU (6%) Calcium 45mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310

% 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.