Classic School Cake
Our classic school cake is a proper nostalgic bake! There's a fluffy vanilla sponge, a simple white icing & plenty of sprinkles. This one's great with custard.
Servings: 12 Servings
Equipment
- 9" x 13" Baking Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Palette Knife
- Skewer
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 325 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 350 g Caster Sugar
- 6 Large Eggs (See Notes)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 325 g Plain Flour
- 2¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- ¾ tsp Table Salt
- 200 g Sour Cream (Full Fat, At Room Temperature)
Icing
- 400 g Icing Sugar
- 4-5 tbsp Whole Milk
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (338°f/302°f).
- Grease & line a 9"x13" baking tin with baking parchment then set to one side.
- Next, add the softened butter & caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat with the paddle attachment until pale & fluffy. This will take around 5 minutes on a medium speed.Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down regularly with a spatula, to ensure that you get an evenly mixed batter!
- Whilst the butter is mixing, crack the eggs into a jug then add in the vanilla & whisk together. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda & salt into a separate mixing bowl then whisk to combine. I'd recommend weighing the eggs, you'll need 300 grams of whole egg in total.
- Once the butter is ready, gradually add in the eggs & vanilla with the mixer still running on a medium speed. Stop mixing as soon as the eggs have been incorporated & make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl down regularly.
- Next, take the bowl off the mixer & sift in half of the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold the flour into the butter, until mostly incorporated then fold in the sour cream, followed by the remaining flour.Make sure not to over mix the batter!
- Transfer the batter into the lined tin, use a palette knife to spread into an even layer then bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. The cake will be golden brown & will spring back when lightly pressed.The batter needs to be baked as soon as it is mixed, as the bicarb will start to react.
- Once baked, let the cake cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack & leave to cool completely.
Icing
- Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl then gradually whisk in enough milk to make a thick icing.The icing needs to be thick enough to spread on top of the cake. If it becomes too thin, add in some more icing sugar.
- Next, spoon the icing on top of the cake then use a palette knife to spread out to the edges. Top with a generous amount of sprinkles then leave to set. This will take at least an hour.The icing should set at room temperature but if your kitchen is warm, you may need to stick the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to firm the icing up.
- Once the icing is set, use a sharp serrated knife to cut into portions. I like to trim the edges slightly to neaten the cake up but this is optional.
Notes
1. To Bake In An Aga - Bake the cake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the second from top set of runners just before baking the cake & leave it there for the duration of the bake.
2. Eggs - You'll need large eggs for the sponge, each should weigh around 50 grams out of the shelf.
3. Sprinkles - I used sprinkles from Get Baked supplies but any type will work.
4. Room Temperature Ingredients - It's best to use room temperature eggs & sour cream for the cake batter so that they incorporate more easily.
5. Storage - Because the icing contains milk, it's best to store this cake in the fridge, in an airtight container. However, the cake is best served at room temperature so I'd recommend letting the cake sit out for 30 minutes or so before serving. Or give a pieces 10 seconds in the microwave.