Gluten-Free School Cake {no xanthan gum}

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free School Cake {no xanthan gum}

This retro Gluten-Free School Cake doesn’t deserve to be relegated to nostalgic memories of school days. 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.

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Cake

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 442kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

360 g unsalted butter room temperature
360 g caster sugar
6 eggs medium*
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
360 g Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend**
2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
75 g whole milk
375 g icing sugar
2 lemons
1-1 ½ tablespoons sprinkles

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4 and line and grease a 13 inch x 9 inch large baking tin.
Cream the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes on a medium speed in a stand mixer or using electric beaters in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix until completely incorporated, then mix in the vanilla extract.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together in separate mixing bowl, then add into the cake batter. Mix well then beat in the milk to lighten the batter.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to settle for 5 minutes in its tin, then turn out onto a large wire rack and leave to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing stir together icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until a thick and just pourable icing has formed.
Pour the icing over the top of the cake, spread out with a silicone spatula and decorate with sprinkles.

Video

Notes

Although this recipe recommends 16 servings, actually the cake can go a lot further if you are serving to a younger crowd, in particular if you are serving with custard.

*The eggs used in this recipe were medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount which for this recipe would be 200g.

**The gluten-free flour recommended for this recipe is my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend. This blend is the perfect ratio of wholegrain and starchy flours which means you don’t have to use xanthan gum in this recipe. I cannot guarantee the results of this cake if you choose to substitute this flour recommendation.

Tips for best results

I have included even more in depth tips and troubleshooting in the full post above.

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
If your lemons are not juicy enough to make the icing pourable enough then add a little whole milk, a couple of teaspoons at time. The icing should be thick and just pourable. Check your baking powder is gluten-free.
Check your sprinkles are gluten-free (this is an easy trip-up as so many brands contain wheat).
Allow the icing to set for at least an hour before cutting and serving.

Make ahead

This 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.

Ingredient measurements

Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming it is cut into 16 servings.

Nutrition