Vanilla Tray Bake

This vanilla tray bake is a little slice of nostalgia. I'm sure I'm not alone in having this type of cake when I was little for my birthday or a friends birthday. Even my little brother and sisters have it on their birthday, if I haven't made them something more extravagant. I made a dinosaur cake for my little brothers birthday last year... lets just say I should stick to frosting and making cakes rather than decorating using sugar paste or fondant. Art was never my strong point. As you get older, it's not cool to blow out candles anymore, I cringe now when people sing happy birthday to me, at 22 it's just not a thing. So making this reminded me of little me, blowing out the candles and making a wish like it was the most important thing to do on your birthday. Adulating sucks sometimes.


This recipe is so simple to make and decorate that you don't need any art skills what so ever. Just use yours or the persons you are making it for favourite sweets, and thats all you need to impress.

Vanilla Tray Bake
(Makes 16 Squares) 

225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
175g Self Raising Flour
50g Ground Almonds
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

100g Butter
225g Icing Sugar
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Sweets of your choice - I used jelly beans and dolly mixtures

Preheat the oven to 170C, Gas Mark 5. Line and grease a 23cm x 28cm tray bake tin.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, ground almonds and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and whisk together using an electric whisk for three/four minutes until the ingredients are well combined and smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, use a spatula to spread level. Place in the oven for 30 minutes until well risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Once cooked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, place the butter in a large mixing bowl, using an electric whisk beat until light and fluffy. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk on a low speed until it starts to come together and then put the whisk on a medium speed until the frosting turns light and fluffy, this will take around five minutes.

Place the frosting on top of the cooled sponge, using a pallet knife spread equally over the top in a nice even layer. Scatter the sweets over the top of the frosting and cut into squares.