Retro School Dinners Iced Tray Bake Cake was my favourite “after’s” or pudding as we used to call dessert. Often served with the ubiquitous pink custard.
Anyone remember this recipe from school? Retro School Dinners Iced Tray Bake Cake was my favourite “after’s” or pudding as we used to call dessert. Often served with the ubiquitous pink custard, I preferred mine without custard, as it was the buttercream icing I loved, along with the “hundreds and thousands”, known as sprinkles nowadays.
This tray bake “slab” cake is easy to make and even easier to eat, and makes a very generous 15 squares of cake, although I remember our school dinner ladies and cooks serving up giant slabs of this cake from huge trays of 24 portions or more. Do try to use old-fashioned hundreds and thousands, and not posh or glitzy sprinkles for an authentic “school dinners pudding” effect.
I am sure margarine was used in the “buttercream” and the cake when I was at school, so I have offered you the choice of making it with butter or a soft vegetable based margarine, such as Stork. Serve as part of an afternoon tea, or with custard for a pudding style dessert, and remember, there’s no need to wolf it down before the next lessons start anymore! You can also make this with just icing, and not buttercream, I have added that option in the notes.
Today’s recipe for Retro School Dinners Iced Tray Bake Cake is a great recipe for any charity cake sales you may be planning, as well as stocking up the cake tin for the week ahead. It’s also a lovely recipe for the children to get involved in, over half term, as they can mix the cake, and then add the buttercream, or icing, and the hundreds and thousands at the end.
Notes for Substitutions & Tips for Retro School Dinner Iced Tray Bake Cake
- To make the cake with just an icing topping, mix 300g icing sugar with a little milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, adding the milk gradually until you get a thick icing that isn’t too runny.
- You can use vanilla essence, in the manner of a true retro school dinner cake.
- If you want, you can add food colouring to the buttercream or icing.
- The cake can be frozen before the icing or buttercream is added, place the squares in a container with greaseproof paper in between the cake. Remove 2 to 3 hours before icing and allow to defrost at room temperature.
Step-by-Step Photo Slideshow
Step-by-Step Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 30cm x 18cm (15″ x 7″) rectangular baking tin or tray with baking paper.
- Put all of the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin/tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed lightly, and the cake is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, before easing out the whole cake ON the baking paper and allowing it to cool completely on a large wire rack.
- Meanwhile make the buttercream icing; beat all the ingredients together until it is blended, and you have a soft buttercream consistency.
- Spread the buttercream over the whole cake, sprinkle with the hundreds and thousands and cut into 15 squares.
- I like to store the cake in the baking tray on the baking paper, and cover it with tinfoil or clingfilm. I store it in a cool place, but you can of course store cake in a cake tin, in one layer.
- Serve with custard if desired.
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More Cake & Pudding Recipes
- EVE’S PUDDING WITH BLACKBERRIES & APPLES
- Rhubarb Stirabout – An Old-Fashioned Pudding
- Easy Cornflake Tart
I hope you enjoy this cake, and the old school dinner memories if you make it. And, please do let me know if you make it by leaving a comment below. The recipe is shared in a printable recipe card at THE END OF THIS POST. Have a wonderful week, and please do pop back to see my next two NEW RECIPES for:
- Mum’s Traditional Pickled Onions
- School Dinner Jam & Coconut Cake with Pink Custard
- Sticky Ginger Parkin
Bye for now, and see you soon! Karen
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Recipe for Retro School Dinner Iced Tray Bake Cake
Retro School Dinner Iced Tray Bake Cake
Anyone remember this recipe from school? Retro School Dinners Iced Tray Bake Cake was my favourite "after's" or pudding as we used to call dessert. Often served with the ubiquitous pink custard, I preferred mine without custard, as it was the buttercream icing I loved, along with the "hundreds and thousands", known as sprinkles nowadays. This tray bake "slab" cake is easy to make and even easier to eat, and makes a very generous 15 squares of cake, although I remember our school dinner ladies and cooks serving up giant slabs of this cake from huge trays of 24 portions or more. Do try to use old-fashioned hundreds and thousands, and not posh or glitzy sprinkles for an authentic "school dinners pudding" effect. I am sure margarine was used in the "buttercream" when I was at school, so I have offered you the choice of making it with butter or a soft vegetable based margarine, such as Stork. Serve as part of an afternoon tea, or with custard for a pudding style dessert, and remember, there's no need to wolf it down before the next lessons start anymore! You can also make this with just icing, and not buttercream, I have added that option in the notes.
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 225g softened butter or margarine
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g SR flour
- 4 large free-range eggs mixed with 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Buttercream Icing:
- 300g icing sugar
- 150g softened margarine or butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Hundreds and thousands (sprinkles)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 30cm x 18cm (15" x 7") rectangular baking tin or tray with baking paper.
- Put all of the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin/tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed lightly, and the cake is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, before easing out the whole cake ON the baking paper and allowing it to cool completely on a large wire rack.
- Meanwhile make the buttercream icing; beat all the ingredients together until it is blended, and you have a soft buttercream consistency.
- Spread the buttercream over the whole cake, sprinkle with the hundreds and thousands and cut into 15 squares.
- I like to store the cake in the baking tray on the baking paper, and cover it with tinfoil or clingfilm. I store it in a cool place, but you can of course store cake in a cake tin, in one layer.
- Serve with custard if desired.
Notes
To make the cake with just an icing topping, mix 300g icing sugar with a little milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, adding the milk gradually until you get a thick icing that isn't too runny.
You can use vanilla essence, in the manner of a true retro school dinner cake.
If you want, you can add food colouring to the buttercream or icing.
The cake can be frozen before the icing or buttercream is added, place the squares in a container with greaseproof paper in between the cake. Remove 2 to 3 hours before icing and allow to defrost at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Yield 15 squares Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 408Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 85mgSodium 124mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 0gSugar 36gProtein 4g
Michelle says
This looks delicious, and brings back memories of school. I will always remember being in a Home Ec class, would be about thirty years ago, and our teacher had made a load of plain sponge cakes, all with different fats, as a blind taste test. I remember clearly that almost everyone preferred the cake made with Stork margarine to the others. This stuck with me, and although it was a fair few years later that I started cooking for myself and a family, I’ve always used Stork in my cakes ever since. Funny the little snippets that stick in your mind!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I also also LOVE Stork in my baking, it gives a fabulous texture and taste to cakes. Thank you for sharing your memories Michelle, Karen
sherry says
this looks like a pretty cake. and i looooove buttercream icing – the more the merrier!
Karen Burns-Booth says
JUST that! Lots of buttercream is GOOD!
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, this reminds me of being back at school when I got dinners during my GSCE years 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s just what is it reminds me of too Nic!
julie l rowland says
This was absolutely delicious although my children baulked at the idea of serving custard with it.
I didn’t have 100’s and 1000’s so used chocolate vermicelli which was as retro as it could be.
I halved the ingredients too which worked equally as good (only because I’m still trying to shed the first lockdown’s excess weight!) Great recipe, thank you.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I’m so pleased you were able to adapt my recipe to your own requirements Julie – thanks for your feedback! Karen
Ana says
I remember eating these growing up, and always wanting to eat the whole pan. Excited to make these as an adult!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Same here, such a lovely school dinner pudding!
daniel dodsworth says
The Manor House cake isthe first thing I’ve ever baked and I’ve got to say it went down a treat and everyone wanted to know who cooked it and can they have one delivered… I think I am onto something here .. £4.50 a cake I think
Karen Burns-Booth says
It’s a lovely recipe isn’t it? Glad you enjoyed the cake.