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This Jam and Coconut Sponge brings back all the nostalgic memories from school dinners. Except, unlike the jam coconut traybake served in the school dining hall, this one is completely gluten free! The gluten eaters will never even know…
What you need to know at-a-glance:
- Why choose this recipe? This old school sponge cake is pure nostalgic joy to make and eat! A light and fluffy coconut sponge topped with jam and coconut – ideal served warm with custard, just like school dinners.
- Top Tip: Go for full on retro vibes by serving it warm with pink custard! A few drops of pink food colouring is all you need.
- Flour of choice: I always use the FREEE Self-Raising Gluten Free Flour for this but any self-raising gluten free flour blend will work. And if you only have plain flour, I have some tips below on how to make your own self-rising flour.
- Dairy Free? This coconut cake recipe is SO easy to make gluten and dairy free. Just check out my swaps in the Ingredients section below.
This Jam Coconut Sponge tray bake is a timeless recipe that will forever be one of my favourites. And it’s really easy to make this jammy coconut cake gluten free.
Often called School Cake, the super soft sponge is packed with desiccated coconut, before baking slathered with jam and sprinkled with even more coconut flakes.
It’s delicious served warm with custard for a retro gluten free dessert, but equally as yummy sliced into squares as part of a gluten free afternoon tea.
And of course, for proper nostalgic vibes, make sure you serve it up warm with some custard. Bonus points for pink custard – just like school dinner cake!
Fans of my gluten free vanilla tray bake, gluten free scones, lime and coconut cake and my coconut and passionfruit cake will love this recipe!
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free jam and coconut sponge recipe below. But here are some notes on the main ingredients and any easy swaps:
- Butter: If you need this to be a gluten and dairy free jam coconut sponge, simple swap it for a vegan margarine like Stork. I’ve done this many times and it works just as well.
- Caster Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour: This jam and coconut cake can be made with any gluten free self-raising flour from UK supermarkets. If you only have a plain gluten free flour, stir in 2.5 tsp gluten free baking powder and 0.25 tsp xanthan gum to the flour before adding it to the main cake mixture.
- Milk: Use a dairy free milk, like soya milk, coconut milk, almond milk or gluten free oat milk if you need to make this recipe dairy free.
- Desiccated Coconut: This is usually gluten free but always double check for may contain warnings.
- Jam: I love using raspberry jam in this recipe but you could use strawberry or cherry jam instead. I prefer a smooth jam but jam with seeds in is totally fine if you prefer it!
How to Make Jam and Coconut Sponge 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 jam coconut traybake recipe is to make.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C Fan / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin and set aside while you make the mix.
Add the butter (or margarine) and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
Crack the eggs into the mixture and briefly whisk again to combine. Don’t worry if it separates – this will be rectified when we add the flour!
Add gluten free flour, desiccated coconut and milk to the mixture and beat again until it forms a thick batter.
Pour the batter into the lined cake tin, spread it out evenly and smooth the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed, or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the tin.
Add the jam to a bowl and zap it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make it a little runnier, stirring well afterwards.
Evenly spread the jam over the cake while it’s still warm, then sprinkle evenly with the coconut and cut into 16 even squares. Serve warm or cold.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: If you’re not eating this cake straight away, you can cool it to room temperature then store it in an airtight container. It will last up to a week! Don’t keep gluten free cakes in the fridge – it actually makes them go stale a lot quicker.
TO FREEZE: This jam coconut cake freezes really well. If making ahead, you can freeze the sponge wrapped in clingfilm and then defrost before topping and serving. You can also freeze squares of leftover cake – I recommend doing this between sheets of baking paper on a board, then transferring to a bag or tub once frozen.
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Jam and Coconut Sponge Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter, (or dairy free margarine like Stork)
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 225 g gluten free self-raising flour, (see recipe notes if using a plain flour blend)
- 2 tbsp milk, (use dairy free if needed)
- 75 g desiccated coconut
For the topping:
- 130 g smooth raspberry jam, (or strawberry jam if you prefer)
- 30 g desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C Fan / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin and set aside while you make the mix.
- Add the butter (or margarine) and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
- Crack the eggs into the mixture and briefly whisk again to combine. Don’t worry if it separates – this will be rectified when we add the flour!
- Add gluten free flour, desiccated coconut and milk to the mixture and beat again until it forms a thick batter. Be careful not to overmix – just ensure it is combined with no lumps of flour.
- Pour the batter into the lined cake tin, spread it out evenly and smooth the top.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed, or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the tin.
- Add the jam to a bowl and zap it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make it a little runnier, stirring well afterwards.
- Evenly spread the jam over the cake while it’s still warm, then sprinkle evenly with the coconut and cut into 16 even squares. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: This cake is at its best when eaten warm with custard. For bonus points, add a couple of drops of pink food colouring to the custard for that proper school dinner vibe. It is also equally as delicious cold!
- Storing: Once cooled, keep this cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze it – see the blog post above for my top tips.
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups/imperial. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: If you prefer a visual aid, check out the post above for photos to guide you through how this recipe should look at each stage.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and a little comment sharing how much you loved this Coconut Jam Sponge! It really helps to support my website and get my recipes out there to everyone who needs them! xx
Nutrition
More Nostalgic Gluten Free Bakes
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If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a rating and comment to let me (and others!) know! I’m about to go heat up another slice to have with custard!! xx
I actually was a dinner lady and often made this for the kids can’t wait to try this as this was a favourite in our house and yes it has to be pink custard but occasionally I made it chocolate by adding cocoa powder
I absolutely love your cake recipes and your shortcrust pastry is amazing and rolls out so easily. Thenk you for all the time and effort you put in. Please would you bring out another printed cookbook with all your wonderful cake and pastry recipes in now.
Love your recipe book and your blog, Sarah. 😍
Easy to follow recipe using store cupboard ingredients. Lovely moist cake , can eat by. itself or with custard