Gluten-Free School Cake {no xanthan gum}

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.

This retro Gluten-Free School Cake doesn’t deserve to be relegated to nostalgic memories of school days. I guarantee if you serve this school dinner cake at your next kids birthday party or for dessert after your Sunday Lunch kids and adults alike will be clamouring for a slice. A traditional vanilla sponge cake traybake, drizzled with an easy icing and decorated with lots of sprinkles. This gluten-free cake is so easy to make and needs no xanthan gum.

this recipe

Jump to:

• What is School Cake?
• Watch to see how to make it
• Why you’ll love Gluten-Free School Cake
• Gluten-free flours needed
• How many people does this serve?
• Full list of ingredients
• How to make Gluten-Free School Cake
• Tips for best results
• Which sprinkles to use
• Shop the recipe
• Make ahead
• How to freeze
• Recipe variation: Tottenham Cake
• Other gluten-free vanilla cake recipes to try
• Other easy gluten-free traybake recipes for a crowd
• Gluten-Free School Cake {no xanthan gum}

My four year old started school this week and he was a bit nervous about lunch times. It’s totally different from nursery when the children were served their school dinners sitting at their tables in the classroom. Now he’s in big school he has to queue up for his lunch in the big dining hall and it’s a big deal. In fact for the first couple of days he was so intimidated to go up to get his lunch that he had to be taken up by his teachers and even then he would only eat cucumber.

That all changed on the third day when the dinner ladies served out an old school classic. Vanilla Sprinkle School Cake and Custard. Now this was a totally different story, Beau pulled himself up by his bootstraps, found his confidence and was first in line, arms outstretched for his very own portion. It’s amazing what a bit of cake can do.

And who can blame him – this total classic has been served in the dining rooms of British schools since the stone age. I have such clear memories of these Old School Sponge Traybakes at my own primary school where I would specifically ask for a slice taken from the middle of the cake. A thick wodge of fluffy vanilla sponge cake drizzled with icing and covered in dozens of sprinkles on top of the cake. And don’t forget it simply has to be served drowning in pink custard.

What is School Cake?

If you were served this at your school then I bet you have very fond memories of this old school pudding. This large old school cake traybake was usually a traditional vanilla sponge, decorated with a water icing and hundreds and thousands. An absolute perfect choice for serving a lot of hungry children at lunchtime.

At our school we also had a chocolate version, a sultana version and a glace cherry version. Each one served with a different kind of thick pourable custard in classic flavours, Chocolate Custard, Vanilla Custard or Pink Custard.

Watch to see how to make it

Why you’ll love Gluten-Free School Cake

• Retro school cake which is perfect for serving a large crowd.
• If you are ever stuck for ideas for birthday cakes for your children. This Gluten-Free Sprinkle Cake is always a totally winner.
• This recipe has no xanthan gum. You don’t need it as long as you stick to the flour blend recommended in this recipe. READ MORE >>> Why I never bake with xanthan gum.
• This fun and easy school cake is simple to make and decorate.
• Guaranteed to go down a storm with the whole family.

Have you also tried these perfectly moist one bowl Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes yet? Gorgeously fluffy, these simple cupcakes are decorated with a quick and easy vanilla buttercream.

Gluten-free flours needed

This School Dinner Cake is recommended to be made with my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. This flour blend is a perfect mix of wholegrain and starchy flours which means you don’t need to use xanthan gum at all and still have a tender crumb, a beautifully textured cake that is perfectly moist and doesn’t fall apart.

What flours are in the blend?

• Sweet rice flour. Aka glutinous rice flour (although it contains no gluten). Not to be confused with regular rice flour.
• Oat flour.
• Sorghum flour.
• Tapioca Starch.

Go to the original recipe posting if you need to substitute any of these flours >>> Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend.

How many people does this serve?

This Old School Cake Recipe is enough for 16 at least but feel free to cut the slices down even further, especially if you are serving it to little ones – you could probably get about 20 -24 servings. And it goes even further when you serve it with gorgeous pink custard.

Full list of ingredients

• Unsalted butter.
• Caster sugar.
• Eggs. This recipe uses medium sized eggs which weigh out at 60g with shell and 50g without shell.
• Vanilla extract. I like Nielsen Massey
• Gluten-free flour. See notes above – we need a very specific flour blend here.
• Whole milk.
• Baking powder. Check your brand is gluten-free.
• Salt. I use kosher salt which has a softer taste.

How to make Gluten-Free School Cake

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, then mix in the vanilla extract.
2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together then beat into the cake mixture. Finally stir in the milk.
3. Pour the cake batter into a large prepared tin, lined with baking paper and greased.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. To make the icing stir together icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until a thick and just pourable icing has formed.
6. Pour the icing over the top of the cake, spread out with a silicone spatula and decorate with sprinkles.

Tips for best results

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you make the cake, including the eggs, this helps with the ingredients mixing together properly.
• You can use a stand mixer for this recipe or handheld electric beaters. Although by all means use a large bowl and a wooden spoon if you want to be really traditionally old school. It can be hard work though!
• If you want your icing to be ultra white then you could swap out the lemon juice for whole milk which makes the icing a little more creamy but not as sharp or lemony tasting (funny that!).
• If your lemons are not juicy enough then top up with a little water or milk to get the icing to the exact right consistency.
• Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before icing. Then allow the icing to set for an hour at least before slicing and serving.

Which sprinkles to use

Check the sprinkles you are using safe to eat. There seem to be many sprinkles for sale in the UK that are not recommended for human consumption in the UK/EU due to the food colourant E127 (a red colour). This is due to the link between E127 and hyperactivity in children and correlations with increased thyroid hormone levels. This additive will be labelled on the ingredients list so avoid if you can.

You also need to check that your sprinkles are gluten-free. So many of the beautiful sprinkles you can purchase from specialist cake decorating suppliers are made with wheat.

The ones I used in these photographs are unfortunately out of stock everywhere at the time of this recipe’s publication. As soon as I have a confirmed recommendation of another brand I’ll update it here.

Serve your Gluten-Free School Sponge Cake with this Strawberry Custard (aka Pink Custard). It’s made with fresh strawberries and is totally delightful. Or you can serve with a Traditional Gluten-Free Homemade Vanilla Custard.

Shop the recipe

13in x 9in Baking Tin

Buy Now →

Silicone Spatula

Buy Now →

Sweet Rice Flour (glutinous)

Buy Now →

Gluten-Free Oat Flour

Buy Now →

Sorghum Flour

Buy Now →

Tapioca Starch

Buy Now →

Make ahead

This School Dinner Sponge Cake is at its best up to 24 hours after baking as it stales quickly, especially once it has been cut up.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container. The cake can keep for up to 3 days.

How to freeze

I recommend freezing the whole sponge cake prior to icing and cutting up. Allow to cool completely to room temperature then double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil to avoid freezer spoilage.

Thaw at room temperature overnight before unwrapping and decorating with the icing and sprinkles.

Recipe variation: Tottenham Cake

Tottenham Cake is a variation on this School Cake. However, there is a key difference in the colour of the icing as Tottenham Cake traditionally has pink icing.

I recommend omitting the lemon zest as it interferes with the look of the icing (although you can still use the lemon juice). Just grab your favourite brand of pink food colouring, add a small drop to your finished icing before drizzling and mix in well.

Recipes I’ve seen online vary from keeping the hundreds and thousands sprinkles, switching them up for desiccated coconut or omitting the sprinkles entirely.

Other gluten-free vanilla cake recipes to try

• Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake
• Gluten-Free Vanilla Layer Cake
• Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge

Other easy gluten-free traybake recipes for a crowd

• White Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Tiffin
• Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
• No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
• Gluten-Free Parkin
• Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake
• The Ultimate Popcorn Rocky Road
• Gluten-Free Apple and Cranberry Oat Bars
• Gluten-Free Caramel Cake
• Gluten-Free Lemon and Ginger Cake

I urge you to give Gluten-Free School Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.