Easy School cake recipe

Easy School Cake Recipe

An easy step-by-step home-baking cake designed around ingredients selected without gluten, egg, dairy, nuts or soya.

I never thought I’d be making a school-friendly alternative until allergies changed everything. This one is light, fluffy and anything but boring. It is a home recipe, not a cake currently sold by Anges de Sucre.

Schools often have their own rules around birthday food and common allergens. Before making this for a class, check the school’s current policy and every ingredient label rather than relying on the recipe title alone.

For cakes from our bakery, please see our children’s cakes. Our bakery cakes are not sold as vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free or soya-free because they are produced in a kitchen handling those allergens.

Vanilla Sponge

Prep Time: 60m | Cook Time: 30m | Total Time: 90m

Serves: approx. 10 portions

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 cold coconut milk, the carton kind, not tinned

Before baking: Check the exact flour blend, coconut milk, vanilla and every other packaged ingredient for the allergens you need to avoid and for any precautionary cross-contact statements. “Gluten-free” on one ingredient does not make an entire home kitchen or finished cake automatically suitable for someone with a severe allergy.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. 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, whisk together the coconut milk, vanilla and oil. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. If your chosen gluten-free flour blend already contains a binder such as xanthan gum, do not add extra simply by habit; follow the blend manufacturer’s guidance.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 30 minutes, checking that a skewer inserted in the centre comes out without wet batter.
5. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.

Plant-Based Buttercream

Ingredients

• 250g plant-based block butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon plant-based coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Plant-based formulations change, so check the current labels for the dietary and allergen requirements you are managing.

Method

1. Whisk the plant-based block until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar.
3. Add the plant-based milk, vanilla and salt, then beat until smooth.

Decorating

• Gel paste food colour, checked for suitability
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• Sprinkles, checked individually for ingredients, allergens and cross-contact warnings

1. Secure the first sponge to a board with a little buttercream, fill and stack the layers.
2. Cover the sides and top with buttercream.
3. Add checked sprinkles and chill briefly to firm the frosting.
4. Colour the remaining buttercream as required and pipe the decoration.

The useful distinction is this: the recipe can be built using ingredients selected without particular allergens, but suitability for a specific child depends on the exact labels, cross-contact risks in your kitchen and the school’s policy. If in doubt, do not guess—ask the parent/carer and school what is acceptable.

For more home-baking recipes and techniques, see our recipes and baking guides.

Lots of love,
Reshmi xoxo