Jam and coconut sponge

Jam and coconut sponge is a delicious vanilla sponge traybake topped with jam and dessicated coconut. It’s a classic, easy traybake kids will love making and eating.

Jam and coconut sponge is a delicious vanilla sponge traybake topped with a layer of your favourite jam plus a sprinkling of dessicated coconut.

It’s a classic bake from the UK that you may remember from your school lunch when you were younger! It’s so easy to make, it’s a great bake for children – a simple vanilla sponge, with an easy topping. There’s no complicated steps or fancy decoration so it’s perfect for anyone new to baking.

If you like our school cake or Tottenham cake I’m sure you’ll enjoy this bake just as much.

How can kids help to make a jam and coconut sponge cake?

Traybakes or sheet cakes are great bakes for kids and this simple sponge is no exception. Traybakes tend to have really simple decoration, so once you’ve made the sponge there’s very little left to do.

As with most bakes, your kids will be able to help to measure out all the ingredients before mixing them together. And there are 4 eggs in the recipe so it’s a brilliant chance for your kids to practice their egg cracking skills (an important skill for any young baker to master.)

Finally, as I’ve mentioned, this jam and coconut sponge has really simple decoration which your kids can take care off. They can help to spread the jam on top of the cake before sprinkling the dessicated over the top. It’s that easy.

How long does a coconut and jam sponge keep?

You can keep the traybake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

If you want to keep it for longer you can freeze it (undecorated) for up to 2-3 months. Simply wrap it well, either as a a whole or in individual portions, in cling film/ glad wrap and pop it in a freezer bag. Defrost it fully before decorating and serving it.

What can I use instead of self raising flour?

Self raising flour is easy to find in the supermarket here in the UK, but if you don’t have any you can use an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour and an extra 2 teaspoons of baking flour and a pinch of salt.

What is baking spread / baking margarine?

Baking spread (in the UK Stork is a well known brand) is just a margarine that’s made perfect for baking. You can use it instead of butter in a cake as it tends to make the sponge a little bit lighter and fluffier. The cost of butter seems to keep going up and up, so it’s a good, cheaper alternative.

Can I use a different size baking tin?

You can use a different tin, but will need to make some adjustment. This recipe is designed for a 9 x 12 inch (23 x 33cm) rectangular baking tin. If you use a different sized tin, the baking time and thickness of the cake may vary so keep and eye on it while its in the oven and adjust the baking time as necessary.

What other retro bakes can I make?

There are lots of traybakes you can make with the same tin. Why not try our chocolate traybake, chocolate brownies or our ginger cake.

Or why not try one of our favourite nostalgic bakes:

Treacle sponge
Jam tarts
Sticky toffee pudding
Brioche bread and butter pudding
Sultana cake
Cornflake tart
Madeira cake
Victoria sponge traybake
Vanilla traybake / school cake
Tottenham cake

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this jam and coconut sponge:

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Hand held mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Offset spatula
Baking tin
Wire rack

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Ingredients

For the sponge
250g (1 & 1/8 cups) butter or baking margarine
250g (1 ¼ cups) caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the decoration
200g Jam
25g dessicated coconut

How to make a jam and coconut sponge

Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F and grease and line a 9×12 inch (30 x 22cm) deep sided baking tin with baking or parchment paper.

Often the easiest way of lining baking tin is to cut a strip of baking paper the width of the tin and lay it in, then do the same in the other direction. Leave a bit overhanging the edge so that it’s easier to remove the cake from the tin later.

Don’t skip the greasing step before you line your tin as it will hold the baking paper in place when you add the batter later.

Cream the butter and sugar together

Get your kids to measure out the butter or margarine if you’re using it and the sugar, then add them to a free-standing mixer or a large mixing bowl.

If you’re using butter, it needs to be soft enough so that it will mix in well with the sugar. If it’s not soft enough, cut it into a few pieces and pop it in your microwave for 10 seconds or so. Do it just so that it softens, not so long that it starts to melt. Baking spread is already soft, so you can add it straight in.

Using the k-paddle of your mixer or a hand held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla

Get your kids to crack the eggs, one a time, into a small bowl before adding it to your mixing bowl. Beat each one in before adding the next one.

Add the vanilla. If you have younger children, you might need to hold the teaspoon while they pour it in or vice versa.
Mix the vanilla in. The mixture will be quite sloppy at this point.

Add the flour and baking powder

Measure out the flour and baking powder and add them to your mixing bowl. Make sure when your kids add the baking powder that they level the spoon before putting it in the bowl so that you add just the right amount.

Gently fold the flour in using a spatula, or wooden spoon until it is well incorporated and there are no lumps of flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl.

If the cake batter is too thick at this point you can add a table spoon or so of milk and mix it in. You want it to be runny enough that it will fall off your spatula but not too runny.

Bake the sponge

Get your kids to pour or spoon the cake batter into your prepared baking tin. Spread it out to the edges and level the top with a spatula or small offset palette knife.

Bake the cake in the oven for 35-45 minutes. It’s ready when it has risen and turned a nice golden brown colour. To double check it you can insert a sharp knife / cocktail stick / skewer and if it comes out clean you know it’s ready. If there is still wet batter sticking to it, pop it back into the oven for longer.

If you find the top of the sponge is browning too much before the middle is cooked, cover it in tin foil.

Once it’s baked, remove it from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin.

Decorate the jam and coconut sponge

Measure out the jam and heat it gently just to make it a little bit more runny. Get your kids to spread it over the top of your sponge.

Finally, sprinkle the top with the dessicated coconut.

Cut into 15 pieces (or fewer or more), serve and enjoy.

jam and coconut sponge cut into pieces on a serving plate.

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