Chocolate School Cake

You will also love my easy Chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake!

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The retro School Cake with sprinkles is one of the most loved recipes on my blog and one of my personal favourites.

A Chocolate School Cake was requested, repeatedly, by my two kids and I made this recipe with both of them, singing along to Abba songs.

It is a very simple cake, made all in one bowl using everyday ingredients. So easy to make your oven will hardly have time to preheat – mark my words!

Prepare to fall in love with this recipe: low on effort and high on yumminess, not to mention nostalgia 🙂

The cake was a HUGE hit with Anya and Sam, although Anya did mention that her school cafeteria cake was nowhere near as good.

The Ingredients

You need few easy to find ingredients to make this chocolate sponge cake – I would guess you have most of them already!

For the chocolate sponge

• Flour – Self raising flour or plain flour with added raising agents
• Sugar – I used both caster and light brown sugar
• Cocoa Powder – ideally good quality dark cocoa powder
• Eggs – I used four small eggs here but you could also use three large
• Baking spread – since butter is currently worth its weight in gold I prefer to use Stork in my cakes (bonus: you can use it straight out of the fridge)
• Milk – any kind
• Vanilla extract

For the frosting

The classic School Cake is topped with a thin glaze made with icing sugar and milk. I decided to use a buttercream for the chocolate version.

• Butter – softened unsalted butter
• Icing Sugar
• Cocoa Powder
• Milk or cream
• A little hot coffee (or water)
• Vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Finishing touches

No school cake would be complete without sprinkles! I used chocolate sprinkles by Dr Oetker but any kind will do just as well. You can also use M&Ms or chocolate shavings to decorate if you prefer.

How to Make a Chocolate School Cake

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Make the cake

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) if using the fan setting. Mist a 9×13″ traybake tin with cake release and line with baking paper, letting the edges overhang.

Sift the flour, sugar and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla.

Beat with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer until the batter is completely smooth, using a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl halfway through.

Pour the batter into the prepared tray bake pan and level. Tap gently on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Leave the cake in the tin for five minutes then lift onto a cooling rack using the paper. Allow the cake to cool down completely before adding any frosting. You can also leave it plain if you like and serve it with custard.

Make the chocolate buttercream

Place cubed softened butter into a mixing bowl. Sift the cocoa powder and icing sugar into the bowl and add the salt, vanilla extract and some of the milk.

Beat together on a low setting until the ingredients combine. Increase the speed and gradually add the rest of the milk and hot coffee until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Frost the cake

Spread the buttercream over the cake using a palette knife or the back of a large spoon.Add the sprinkles while the frosting is still fresh. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Useful Equipment

• Digital scales – I use a scale for all my bakes
• Measuring spoons
• A rectangular cake tin (9×13”/ 22.6 x 33cm)
• Cake lifter – for transferring cakes safely
• Cake release spray

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• The chocolate sponge can be made a day ahead. Keep it covered at room temperature so it doesn’t dry out.
• Why sift the dry ingredients? I know this add one step to an otherwise super-easy cake but sifting the flour, sugar and cocoa powder ensures any lumps are removed and the ingredients are well mixed and aerated.
• No self-raising flour? Use plain flour (all-purpose) and add 1 tablespoon baking powder and half a tablespoon of baking soda.
• You can slice my Chocolate School Cake into 18 squares or even more if you cut them smaller. This is a crowd-pleasing traybake that is perfect for sharing!
• The frosted cake will keep for a few days in a cake tin at room temperature away from sunlight.
• My daughter likes to blast the cake for a few seconds in the microwave before eating. It is also delicious served with custard (but you can skip the frosting in that case).
• My cheat: homemade custard is delicious but a bit fiddly. Just buy a tub of store-bought custard and heat it in a saucepan with a handful of dark chocolate buttons to make chocolate custard. It will be our little secret 😉

Fall in Love with These Nostalgic Bakes

• Retro School Cake (Sprinkle Tray Bake)
• School Days Chocolate Concrete
• Retro Jam and Coconut Sponge
• Mary Berry Victoria Sponge

HAVE YOU MADE MY CHOCOLATE SCHOOL CAKE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram with @supergolden88 and the tag #Nusde and make my day!