School dinners in the North East haven’t changed too much over the years! The dishes we enjoyed were the same as our parents and grandparents…probably not the turkey Twizzlers mind.
But the desserts in particular have stayed strong, because frankly, they’re amazing! From sprinkle topped pink sponge cake, sticky toffee pudding and syrup soaked sponge, they just can’t be beat.
So to kick off our classic school recipes, here our personal fave…a recipe for traditional syrup sponge cake.
This sugary godsend was just what you needed when the rain was lashing down outside and you needed a dessert that warms the body and the soul! Obviously it needs to be drowning in custard (NOT pink contrary to some shmucks advice) and served piping hot.

Ingredients
- 200 g Golden Syrup
- 100 g Plain flour
- 100 g Sugar
- 100 g Butter
- 2 medium Eggs
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 2 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, like and baking powder in a bowl until smooth.
- Pour the 200g of syrup into your baking tray (we found a bread tin works well) then top with the mix.
- Bake at 190°C for 40mins covered with Tinfoil and a tray of water underneath. Serve with custard while hot.
Love it… quick easy and delicious ?
Would a loaf tin work for this recipe?
Yep, that’s what I used 🙂
Do you sit the bread tin in the tray of water ?
I think you leave tray at the bottom of your oven to create steam.
Absolutely delicious! I loved this pudding in school and this recipe has brought t back into my adult life.
Love this! So easy to make and tasty!!
I’ve made it 3 times now but noticed that twice it was still liquid in the middle. Does this mean I should put it in the oven for a few more minutes? Or is this normal?
Do you use any sugar ??