This School Cake topped with a simple glaze and sprinkles is just the simple nostalgic bake we all need right now! Easy to make all in one bowl and delicious served plain or with warm vanilla custard.

Love this cake but wish it was chocolatey? Try my Chocolate School Cake!

Craving a slice of childhood nostalgia? This Retro School Cake is exactly the treat you remember from lunch halls, light and fluffy vanilla sponge, covered in glossy icing and covered with colorful sprinkles.

This simple sprinkle cake is guaranteed to remind those of a certain age of their school days. Actually, it’s still served as “pudding” at my kids primary school – sliced into squares and served with custard so I guess its popularity hasn’t waned. It’s easy to see why this tray bake cake is served at schools – one batch can serve up to 20 plus it is DELICIOUS!

Slices of classic school cake, with colorful sprinkles are arranged on a white surface. A jar with a custard and two forks are in the background.

What Is an Old School Cake?

This cake goes by many names including School Cake, School Dinner Cake, sprinkle tray bake, or old school pudding (much like this Tottenham Cake).

It is a simple vanilla sponge covered in a thick white icing and lots of sprinkles. This simple cake is still served at some schools as a treat (hence the name) and will take you on a trip down memory lane with a single bite!

School cake is delicious served with custard (much like another old-school retro fave Chocolate Concrete) or simply sliced into squares.

A slice of vanilla school cake with white icing and colorful sprinkles sits on stacked plates. A jar of custard with a spoon is in the background. Two forks rest beside the plates on a light surface, ready for a delightful treat.

School Cake Ingredients

The vanilla sprinkle cake is fluffy and buttery and so easy to make even if baking is not your thing! All you have to do is beat all the ingredients together in one large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. I call this my “one bowl bake” method 🙂

Sugar – Superfine / Caster sugar is ideal for cake baking as it has fine granules that dissolve easily. If you can’t get hold of it you can use granulated sugar.
Flour – All–purpose / plain flour with baking powder and soda. Make sure that your flour and raising agents are FRESH though. I once made this cake with baking powder that was a year out of date and it was a (literal) flop.
Unsalted Butter or Margarine I usually opt for butter in my cake recipes but I would recommend using margarine (Stork if you are UK-based) in this school cake recipe. For one thing it is soft even straight out of the fridge so easier to mix and more affordable.
Large eggs at room temperature. If your eggs are cold you can place them in a bowl of tepid water to warm up before using.
Milk – Any type, including plant-based if preferred.
Vanilla bean paste – for a wonderful vanilla aroma with the little specks of ground vanilla bean. Pure vanilla extract can also be used.

An image of a school cake labeled ingredients: eggs, self-raising flour, milk, butter or margarine, sugar, vanilla, and baking powder & soda. All items are neatly arranged on a white surface.

Get the Icing Just Right

The glaze is made simply with powdered sugar (icing sugar) and water. I also add vanilla extract but that’s optional. The icing needs to be quite thick otherwise it will simply run off your cake!

The trick is to add just enough water and keep mixing until the glaze drops off your spoon slowly, like honey would. If it is too thin you can simply add more icing sugar. Too thick? Add water, a few DROPS at a time, until you have the right consistency.

vanilla sheet cake cut into squares piled on a ceramic plate

How to Make School Cake

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. If you can be bothered then sift everything into the bowl to aerate the dry ingredients. Mix together with a balloon whisk to combine. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter or margarine.
Start beating at lowest speed setting until the ingredients start to come together. I used my KitchenAid hand mixerbut you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Gradually increase the speed to maximum and beat until the batter is completely smooth – about 30 seconds to one minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through.
Transfer to a 9×13 rectangular baking tray (I love my Wilton traybake tin) 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 middle should come out clean – if not, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Leave the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before adding the glaze. If the cake is just cool as opposed to cold the icing will simply slide off!

Mix the icing sugar with just enough water to make a thick 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!

Recipe Tips, Troubleshooting and FAQs

The ingredients all have to be at room temperature – this is important! – so make sure you use softened butter and allow eggs / milk to warm up before using. Your batter is likely to split and look curdled if any of the ingredients are cold.
How do I know my school cake is baked? Oven temperatures can vary so you need to rely on visual cues not just the recommended baking time. This sponge cake is JUST RIGHT when evenly risen and golden, springy to the touch and just coming away from the edges of the tin.
Levelling your cake: If the cake has domed while baking, level using a large serrated knife. This is likely to happen if the baking tin is a tad too small or the oven is too hot. You can always flip the cake over (carefully!) so that you add the glaze to the FLAT side.
Help, my cake has a dip in the middle! Your cake is not quite ready yet. Bake for an additional five minutes then check again. Repeat until you are confident the cake is ready. Avoid opening the oven door too often though – this will cause a drop in oven temperature.
I always rely on a digital scale to measure my ingredients. Accurate measurements are especially important when it comes to measuring baking powder or soda – invest in some measuring spoons.
How long will school cake keep? This sponge tray bake stays wonderfully fresh for up to four days at room temperature, in a covered cake container. It is best when freshly baked, as with all cakes.

Looking for More Retro Baking Recipes?

Cake

School Cake (Sprinkle Vanilla Tray Bake)

What Is an Old School Cake?