Name: School Cake Recipe Everyone Loves – Sweet Easy Recipes for Any Day
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 225g unsalted butter (softened); 225g caster sugar; 4 medium eggs; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 225g self-raising flour; 2-3 tbsp milk; 200g icing sugar; 2-3 tbsp water; Sprinkles (lots, obviously)

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When I say this traybake school cake brings back memories, I mean it. One bite and I’m seven again, sitting in the cafeteria with a plastic fork and sticky fingers. If you’re into sweet easy recipes that feel like a hug from the past, you’ve landed in the right place. This one’s simple, fluffy, and full of old-school charm. This isn’t just cake—it’s a mood. The kind you whip up when you want something cheerful but don’t feel like wrestling with fancy layers or complicated techniques. It’s the bake-sale hero, the lunchbox legend, the slice-your-mate-stole-off-your-plate kind of cake. And it’s ridiculously easy to make. No stress, no drama, just pure vanilla sponge joy. Want to level it up? Throw some buttercream on top or dunk it in a mug of tea. And don’t worry, this recipe pairs beautifully with all sorts of other easy ideas too—from cheesey potatoes to air fryer cookies. Stick around—I’ve got your sweet tooth covered.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy School Cake Recipe
3) Ingredients for School Cake
4) How to Make School Cake
5) Tips for Making School Cake
6) Making School Cake Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover School Cake
8) Try these Cakes next!
9) School Cake
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

Old-school traybake with vanilla sponge and icing
Perfect for lunchboxes, bake sales, or weekend treats
Easy ingredients you likely already have
Main keyword: sweet easy recipes

2) Easy School Cake Recipe

I still remember this cake from my school lunch days. It was soft, sweet, and topped with just enough icing and sprinkles to make you feel like it was your birthday. If you love sweet easy recipes that take you back, this is one to bookmark. The vanilla sponge is the kind you dream of sinking a fork into after a long day.

Let’s be honest, we don’t all have time to whip up layered masterpieces. This traybake is a win for those of us who want cake without a culinary exam. You’ll throw together a handful of simple ingredients, bake it, slather on some icing, and it’s done. No fuss. No drama. Just cake that makes you feel like a kid again.

The best part? It pairs well with your afternoon tea, or a quick catch-up on the sofa with a slice in one hand and remote in the other. These sweet easy recipes are the real deal when it comes to comfort food.

3) Ingredients for School Cake

Unsalted butter: Softened and ready to cream. The base of your sponge. It gives the cake richness without overpowering the vanilla flavor.

Caster sugar: Light and quick to dissolve. Adds sweetness while helping your cake get that soft golden crust.

Eggs: Medium ones, room temperature. They bind everything and make the sponge rise nicely without getting too dense.

Vanilla extract: Adds that familiar warm flavor that makes this cake smell like home when it bakes.

Self-raising flour: The shortcut to fluffiness. No need to measure baking powder separately here.

Milk: Just a couple tablespoons to loosen the batter to the right consistency. Think pourable but not runny.

Icing sugar: For the classic white icing. Mix it just enough to make it spread without dripping off the edges.

Water: To loosen your icing. Add a spoonful at a time and stop before it gets soupy.

Sprinkles: The crown jewel. Use whatever you have on hand. This is where fun beats perfection.

4) How to Make School Cake

Step 1 Preheat your oven to 180C. Line your baking tin with parchment so it lifts out easily after cooling.

Step 2 Cream the butter and sugar until they’re light and airy. A stand mixer helps, but a wooden spoon and a bit of patience work too.

Step 3 Beat in the eggs one by one. Don’t rush this. Let each egg blend before adding the next to avoid a split batter.

Step 4 Stir in the vanilla extract and then fold in the flour. Be gentle. You want to keep the air you’ve worked so hard for.

Step 5 Add milk, one spoon at a time. The batter should fall off a spoon slowly but smoothly.

Step 6 Pour the batter into your tin, level it, and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.

Step 7 Let the cake cool in the tin. This is important. Warm cake and icing don’t mix well.

Step 8 Mix icing sugar with water until it forms a thick, glossy paste. Pour and spread it over the cooled sponge.

Step 9 Sprinkle generously. Be wild. Let your inner child do the decorating. Slice, serve, and maybe steal the corner piece for yourself.

5) Tips for Making School Cake

If your butter is too cold, your arms will know it fast. Let it sit on the counter a bit first. You’ll thank yourself later.

Don’t panic if the batter looks curdled after adding eggs. It’ll come back together once the flour joins the party. It’s a common stage in many sweet easy recipes.

For the icing, don’t rush it. Add water slowly. Too much and you’re looking at drizzle, not spread. Start with a spoonful, mix, and keep going until it just glides.

6) Making School Cake Ahead of Time

This cake is the kind you can make in the evening and still love the next day. You bake it, cool it, wrap it, and let it chill overnight. The flavors settle and somehow, it gets even better by morning.

If you’re planning to ice it the next day, don’t worry. The sponge won’t dry out if it’s wrapped up tight. Just leave it at room temp. Fridges tend to suck out the moisture and leave your cake sad.

When you’re ready, spread the icing, sprinkle your joy, and slice into clean squares. Prepping ahead is perfect if you’re hosting or sending kids off to school with lunchbox treasures.

7) Storing Leftover School Cake

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container on the counter. They’ll stay good for three days, if they last that long. The sponge holds up, and the icing stays firm enough to eat with your hands—no fork required.

If you do want to stretch it longer, skip the icing and freeze the sponge. Wrap it tight in cling film and foil. When you’re ready, defrost, ice, and sprinkle like nothing ever happened.

We don’t usually have leftovers, though. Just crumbs and regrets about not making two trays.

8) Try these Cakes next!

9) School Cake