An easy step by step School Cake Recipe with sprinkles. It's egg-free, dairy-free and a vegan cake! For those who want to indulge in the best cakes despite having dietary restrictions.

If I’m brutally honest, I was quite dismissive of faddy food trends. Particularly when healthy-clean-eating-Instagram-nutritionists-celebrities would demonise whole food groups to promote a new weight loss and wellbeing regime. Gluten was the devil, sugar was poison, and butter is a thug. To a certain extent, I’m still a bit of an eye-roller when it comes to lifestyle diets. But since finding out our little boy is allergic to eggs, my dietary-restriction world has become unrestricted. I took it upon myself to create the most wicked egg-free, dairy-free and vegan cakes. They're not just for those with the said restrictions but for those who want to indulge in the best cakes.

 

It’s become the norm that schools place restrictions on children's birthday cakes. In response to these restrictions, I’ve created a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and soya-free vegan birthday cake, especially for children to take to school. It’s not sugar-free (after all...we are Anges de SUCRE) but it’s also not fun-free and tastes lovely and light!

While we only deliver our cakes within London it doesn’t mean, you dear reader, wherever you are, can’t indulge too. This easy step-by-step recipe will guide you through making the most delicious cake. It will be free from gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts and soya cake for all to enjoy.

Easy School Cake recipe

Gluten-free, Eggless Vegan Vanilla Sponge

Ingredients 

• 500g gluten-free self raising flour
• 365g caster sugar
• Just under half a teaspoon of baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartare
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 180ml vegetable oil
• 400ml coconut milk (the carton kind, not tinned), cold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius degrees (fan-assisted). Then prepare three 6 inch round cake tins by brushing with oil.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. 
3. In a separate bowl, briskly whisk together the wet ingredients. These are the coconut milk, vanilla and oil. Once mixed, stir into the dry ingredients with a steady pace and mix until it becomes a smooth batter.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake tins. Then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Once baked, remove from oven and let cool in the tins for 10 minutes. When cooled remove from the tin and put them onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Dairy-Free Buttercream

Ingredients

• 250g vegan butter or margarine (I prefer using 50-50 Stork dairy-free baking block and Trex shortening)
• 500g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon dairy-free coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the margarine until light and fluffy, then gradually add in the icing sugar.
2. Add in the dairy-free milk and vanilla extract and pinch of salt

Decorating the Free-From School Cake

Ingredients 

• Pink Gel Paste food colour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• Gluten-free sprinkles

Method

1. Smear some buttercream on a cake board, preferably a few inches larger than the size of the cake sponge. Take 1 sponge layer and lay it flat. Smoothly cover with dairy-free buttercream using a cranked spatula or palette knife. Once smoothed, place the next layer on top and repeat.
2. Once the two layers have been joined together, place the third layer on top. Smooth the dairy-free frosting all around and over the top using the palette knife. You can use a cake scraper for an extra smooth finish.
3. Sprinkle the sprinkles over the top of the cake and along the base edge. Place in the fridge to set for 5-10 minutes.
4. Divide the remaining buttercream into 2 bowls and mix in the pink colour in one and cocoa powder in the other. Prepare 3 piping bags with various piping tips. I recommend a large French Savoy, Medium Open Star and Small Drop Flower nozzles. Spoon dollops of the buttercream into each bag and pipe swirls, stars and blossoms on the frosted cake.

Et voila! A school cake does NOT have to be fun-free, even if it's gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and soya-free! Why not change it up by adding in other colours too.

If you've followed this recipe please do share your results. You can tag me @angesdesucre #angesdesucre on Instagram so I can ogle your beautiful creation. If you have any questions, pop them in the comments and I’ll be happy to have a go at answering them.

Lots of love,

Reshmi xoxo