Dessert

Helen Goh’s one penny cake

Name: Helen Goh’s one penny cake recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 15
Ingredients: 6 large eggs; 400g caster sugar; 240ml milk; 150g unsalted butter; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 350g plain flour; 2 1/2 tsp baking powder; Edible sprinkles, to decorate; 400g pure icing sugar; 80g mulberries (or strawberries), halved; 25g liquid glucose (optional)

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by Helen Goh

Sep 23, 2026

“Some of my British friends talk nostalgically about ‘school dinner cake’: shallow squares of cake from their school days that they loved because they got icing with every mouthful. I’d heard it was also called Tottenham cake, and decided to do some research. It turns out this cake was a tray bake invented by Quakers in Tottenham, North London. The cakes were economical to make, embodying the Quaker values of simplicity and equality, right down to the distinctive pink icing, which was made from mulberries picked in the grounds of the Quaker’s Meeting House. First made in 1901, the cakes sold for a penny a slice. I love this story (and the cake!), and have made it many times for bake sales at the boys’ school. The cake doesn’t need any fancy ingredients and can be made quickly and easily in a large quantity. I bake a couple of trays and cut them up into squares. The slices are small enough for children to hold as they walk, and they still have an appetite for something else at the sale. Things have changed since 1901, however. At the bake sales it’s not a penny, but a pound for a slice. Still, the trays always come back empty!” – Helen Goh.

You’ll need a deep 20cm x 30cm baking pan for this recipe.

This is an edited extract from Baking and the Meaning of Life by Helen Goh (Murdoch Books RRP $55.00). Photography by Laura Edwards.

6 large eggs
400g caster sugar
240ml milk
150g unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups (350g) plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Edible sprinkles, to decorate

Icing

400g pure icing sugar
80g mulberries (or strawberries), halved
25g liquid glucose (optional)

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160˚C fan-forced. Grease the base and sides of a deep 20 x 30cm baking pan and line with baking paper.
2.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 8-10 minutes, until thick and tripled in volume.
3.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium heat until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla, then set aside.
4.

Sift the flour, baking powder and ¾ tsp fine salt into the egg mixture and fold them in with a large whisk until combined. Add the hot milk mixture and fold it through gently until fully incorporated, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
5.

To make the icing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and process to a smooth and slightly runny icing.
6.

Spread the icing over the top of the cake and scatter the sprinkles on top before it sets. Stand for 1 hour for icing to set. Using a large serrated knife, trim the edges of the sponge and cut into 15 equal pieces (approximately 6 x 6 cm).

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Recipe Notes

This cake is also great for a birthday picnic: ice the cake directly in the pan once it has cooled, adding sprinkles before the icing sets, then take the whole pan to the picnic and divide the cake into portions once the candles are out.