This post contains affiliate links and I may receive commission if you visit a link and buy something. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products and services I trust.

I love making traditional recipes that I remember from my childhood at home or days at school and this jam and coconut tray bake is one of those recipes. Simple to make, sweet and delicious, it takes me right back to being eight years old, having it after my school dinner, often with custard on top.

Traditional Coconut Jam School Cake Recipe

What do you need to make this jam and coconut cake?

For this simple traybake you just need the usual cake ingredients of flour, eggs, butter and sugar. We use self raising flour but if you prefer you can use plain flour and a little baking powder or baking soda.

We also tend to use caster sugar for this jam coconut cake recipe but I know my mum used to make it with granulated sugar and it worked out absolutely fine. The same goes for butter – unsalted butter or margarine work well and it’s a recipe that you can just use whatever you have at home.

The finished old school bake is spread over with jam and sprinkled with desiccated coconut. We tend to use strawberry jam as it’s what we always have at home but raspberry jam is delicious too. The cake is then served as it is or for dessert with a big spoon of custard over the top.

There really is nothing like the combination of cake, jam and custard! And I know some people even serve it with pink custard although I’ve only ever had it with yellow custard – I think I might be missing out!

If you’re looking for other recipes to try here’s our old school sprinkle cake, Madeira loaf cake and lemon Bakewell slice recipes. you can see all our recipes to date here.

What equipment do you need for this jam and coconut school cake recipe?

You can make this recipe simply with things you already have in your kitchen but here are the things we use in case there’s something you don’t already have:

As you can see, it’s all things you probably have already. We use sheets of baking paper to guarantee that bakes come out of the tin easily and they’re so easy to use.

So here’s our Coconut and Jam Cake Recipe:

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter or margarine at room temperature
250g caster sugar
5 eggs
250g self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

To decorate

200g jam
dessicated coconut

Recipe

Preheat oven at 160C/300F/Gas 2 and line a sheet cake pan or brownie pan
Cream together the butter and caster sugar in a large mixing bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well
Pour the batter into the lined/greased loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes until brown on the top and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Spread jam over the top of the cake, making sure it’s an even layer and sprinkle with dessicated coconut.
Slice and serve

If you’d like to print or pin the Jam and Coconut Sponge Cake Recipe for later you can do so below. Enjoy!

Print Pin