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The retro Gluten Free School Dinner Cake with rainbow sprinkles is the perfect trip down memory lane! A soft, gluten free sponge slathered in thick white icing and sprinkles, and best served warm with custard. Just like school dinners – minus the gluten!

Squares of gluten free school dinner cake with thick white icing and rainbow sprinkles.

Notes On This Gluten Free School Dinner Cake

🌈 Recreating this School Dinner Sponge Cake is so easy using gluten free flour, and a few simple ingredients. THE fluffiest sponge ever, ready to serve in under an hour.

🌈 This is just like the retro classic from the school dinner hall, perfect served warm with custard, or even as a birthday or celebration cake to feed a crowd.

🌈 I always ask people what recipe they miss the most when they go gluten free and often it’s classics like this. But this is SO easy to make coeliac-safe, there’s no need to miss out at all! Plus this cake is easy to make dairy free too.

Table of Contents

A just of custard being poured over a square of school dinner cake with white icing and rainbow sprinkles.

Don’t just take my word for it…

As this recipe is brand new I don’t have any reviews to share yet, but I did take it into my gym to share with all the gluten-eaters there. And they all loved it – so if that doesn’t say it’s as good as the real deal, I don’t know what does!

If you make this recipe I’d love to know what you think – please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review if you loved it and let me know what you thought! 🥰

Ingredients and Substitutions

There’s a printable recipe card below for this easy gluten free school dinner sponge cake with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.

  • Plain Gluten Free Flour: I usually use the FREEE gluten free plain flour but any gluten free all purpose or baking flour will work fine.
  • Baking Powder: Make sure you use a gluten free baking powder as some brands contain wheat.
  • Xanthan Gum: You can omit this if your flour blend contains it already, but I always use a little to help with the texture of the cake.
  • Caster Sugar: Or baker’s sugar in the US.
  • Stork Baking Spread: I find this creates a fluffier cake, but you can swap for unsalted butter, or even any other dairy free margarine of choice.
  • Eggs
  • Milk: Swap for a dairy free milk like soya, almond or gluten free oat milk if needed.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Icing Sugar: Or confectioner’s sugar in the US.
  • Rainbow Sprinkles: Always ensure you use gluten free sprinkles as some contain wheat starch. However most supermarket brands in the UK are gluten free nowadays.
Ingredients for gluten free school dinner cake with text labels.

How to Make a School Dinner Cake Gluten Free

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free school dinner cake recipe is to make.

Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Step 1: Mix together all the dry ingredients thoroughly to combine.
Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the eggs, butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix together the sugar, butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the dry ingredients added to the wet ones.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix well.
Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the cake batter in a lined pan before baking.
Step 4: Pour the cake batter into a lined rectangular tin and bake.
Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the cooled cake coated in icing.
Step 5: Once baked and cooled, slather the cake with icing and sprinkles.
Process shot for gluten free school dinner cake showing the finished cake cut into squares.
Step 6: Cut the cake into even squares to serve warm or cold.

Storing, Freezing and Making Ahead

TO MAKE AHEAD: If you want to make this cake ahead of time, you can bake and cool the sponge and wrap in clingfilm. Store for 1-2 days or freeze before decorating.

TO STORE: Once baked and decorated this cake will keep for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature.

TO FREEZE: Decorate and portion up the cake, then freeze on a tray before decanting into a bag or tub. Defrost whenever you need a cake fix!

Squares of gluten free school dinner cake with thick white icing and rainbow sprinkles.
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Gluten Free School Dinner Cake Recipe

By: Sarah Howells
The retro Gluten Free School Dinner Cake with rainbow sprinkles is the perfect trip down memory lane! A soft, gluten free sponge slathered in thick white icing and sprinkles, and best served warm with custard.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 24 squares
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Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 300 g plain gluten free flour
  • 5 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 300 g caster sugar
  • 300 g Stork Baking Spread, or butter
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 450 g icing sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp cold water

To serve:

  • Rainbow strand sprinkles
  • Custard

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 9-inch x 12-inch rectangular tin with baking paper.
  • Mix the gluten free flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together in a bowl and set to one side.
  • Add the caster sugar and Stork to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a minute until creamed together.
  • Add the eggs, vanilla extract and milk to the mixture and then sift in the flour mix. Beat again with the electric whisk until the mixture has combined to form a smooth batter.
  • Pour the mixture into the cake tin and smooth into an even layer. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Leave to stand until the tin is cool enough to remove, then carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave the sponge to cool completely.
  • Add the icing sugar to a bowl and gradually add the water, a little at-a-time, until you have a thick, runny paste. Pour over the cake and spread out to the edges in a thick layer. Liberally cover with sprinkles and leave to set before cutting into squares.

Notes

  • Serve this cake warm with custard, or enjoy cooled. It will store for up to a week in an airtight container and you can also freeze leftover squares.
  • To make this cake dairy free ensure you use Stork or a dairy free margarine, and then swap the milk for a dairy free milk.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

More Nostalgic Gluten Free Recipes

If you love this gluten free school dinner cake recipe, why not try some of my other nostalgic gluten free bakes next?

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About Sarah Howells

Hi, I'm Sarah! Diagnosed with coeliac disease 20 years ago, I'm on a mission to create the best gluten free recipes since sliced bread. No fruit salads or dry brownies here.

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