
Hands up if you remember this cake from school!
This cake gives me such nostalgia!
Even though school dinners could be questionable at times… I actually remember not being able to leave the table because I didn’t eat all of my mashed potato… It was quite possibly the worse mashed potato I’ve ever eaten, how do you even make mashed potato taste bad!?
Anyway, one thing that I always liked, as you can probably guess, was DESSERT! Everything from the chocolate bricks to the apple crumble. Dessert was always the best part.
My Great Auntie was actually a school dinner lady before my time. She was an amazing cook and I always loved going around her house to bake. We would make fairy cakes, jam tarts, marzipan cakes with a glace cherry on top, apple dumplings, and lots more. She taught me the basics of cooking, including how to make a great sponge cake.
This sponge is light and fluffy, topped with a simple icing and lots of sprinkles (you can’t forget the sprinkles!)
It’s super quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients, plus it tastes absolutely delicious, just how I remember it from school!
I hope you enjoy this old-fashioned school cake as much as I do.
If you’re looking for another delicious and easy cake, you’ve got to try this Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake!

School Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 225 g margarine room temp
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs room temp
- 225 g self-raising flour
For the icing:
- 250 g icing sugar sifted
- 3 tbsp boiling water
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C (fan) and line an 8x10" baking tin with non-stick baking paper
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy
- Whisk in the self-raising flour and eggs until just combined
- Scoop the batter into your prepared tin and smooth it out evenly
- Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool fully before making the icing
For the icing
- In a small/medium mixing bowl, mix together the sifted icing sugar and boiling water until thick and smooth. If it's too runny, add more icing sugar
- Pour the icing over the cake and smooth it out evenly
- Top with sprinkles and let it set at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days
- If you want to change the colour of the icing, add a dash of food colouring once you reach your desired consistency
- Feel free to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cake or to the icing for a more vanilla-y taste
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