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.
Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 310kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) flour all-purpose / plain
- 1 ⅔ cups (330g) sugar granulated or superfine / caster
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ tsp salt omit if you are using margarine
- ⅞ cup (200g) softened unsalted butter or margarine
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup (180ml) milk room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For the icing & decoration
- 3 ½ cups ( 450) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- water as needed to thin the icing
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sprinkles hundreds and thousands
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Mist a 9x13 cake pan with cake release and line 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.2 ¾ cups (330g) flour, 1 ⅔ cups (330g) sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tbsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- Add the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and butter or margarine (room temperature please!).⅞ cup (200g) softened unsalted butter, 3 large eggs, ¾ cup (180ml) milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 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.
Decorate and serve
- 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).3 ½ cups ( 450) powdered sugar, water, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 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!sprinkles
Video
Notes
- If you are using self-rising 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.
How do I know if my cake is done?
- 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
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
