Snow Cake
This traditional Scottish Snow Cake features a pastry base, topped with raspberry jam & currants, soft sponge, and a snowy coconut topping. A forgotten favourite that deserves a comeback in every home baker’s kitchen.
I first stumbled across Snow Cake on an online Scottish food group while researching recipes for my debut cookbook, Scottish Bakes. It seemed to spark instant nostalgia in so many people, who remembered it fondly from their childhood – often bought from a local bakery or made by their Granny – yet no one could find a solid recipe for it. Particularly one that included currants, which seems to be a staple from what people recalled (although it could technically be optional, if you’re not a dried fruit fan).
That was all the motivation I needed to start experimenting! Based on those shared memories, I came up with what I believe is a pretty close version of this lost Scottish favourite. With a layer of buttery pastry, topped with raspberry jam & currants, a light sponge, and a coconut-dusted icing — all coming together in one glorious, old-school bake.
What I love most about Snow Cake is its simplicity. Despite looking quite fancy, it’s essentially three humble layers that work perfectly together. The pastry base gives it structure, the jam adds just the right amount of sweetness, the sponge keeps it soft and light on top, and that snowy icing & coconut topping to bring it all together.
It’s the kind of cake that feels right at home on the counter of any Scottish cafe, alongside some Mars Bar Slice or Fly Cemetery, or simply in your grandparents’ kitchen. A wee slice of the past, brought back to life for today’s kitchens & bakers!
Top Tips for Scottish Snow Cake:
• Ready-roll Pastry is Fine: Shop-bought shortcrust pastry will work fine if you’re short on time, but homemade pastry always has that lovely richness that makes it extra special.
• Don’t Skip the Blind Bake: Blind baking the pastry base helps prevent a soggy bottom once you add the jam and sponge layers. Ten minutes in the oven makes all the difference!
• Go Seedless with Your Jam: Raspberry jam is the traditional choice and gives that classic, familiar flavour, but any seedless jam will work – strawberry, blackcurrant, or even apricot if you fancy a change.
• Currants are Technically Optional: Most people insisted on the addition of currants in their Scottish Snow Cake, but if you’re not keen, you can leave them out or swap for sultanas or chopped glacé cherries instead.
• Flavour the Sponge: For a subtle twist, try adding a little vanilla or lemon extract to the sponge mixture. Both work beautifully with the sweet jam and coconut topping.
• Don’t Overdo the Icing: You want a smooth, just-pourable icing that spreads easily over the cooled sponge. Add the water gradually, and if it’s too thick, add a few drops more of boiling water at a time until it reaches the right consistency. It’s easier to add more water than it is to take it away (or you will just end up in a never-ending water-icing-water-icing cycle!).
• Let It Set Properly: Give the icing a couple of hours to firm up before slicing – it’ll cut much neater and hold its shape better, otherwise you risk it sliding off and down the sides. Still delicious but not as pretty.
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Snow Cake
EQUIPMENT
- 20cm Square Baking Tin (8-inch)
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry Base:
- 225 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 100 g Block Margarine or Butter (cold, cubed)
- 30 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 2-3 tbsp Cold Water
- 200 g Seedless Raspberry Jam (Jelly)
- 100 g Currants
For the Sponge Cake:
- 150 g Margarine or Butter (softened)
- 150 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 3 Free-range Eggs
- 150 g Self-raising Flour
For the Topping:
- 150 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 3-4 tsp Boiling Water
- 150 g Desiccated Coconut (Shredded Coconut)
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pastry Base:
- In a large bowl, rub the margarine/butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Gradually add the cold water, one spoonful at a time, mixing with your hands to bring the dough together. Adjust the water as needed to form a smooth dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 190°c (170°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 5 or 375°F). Line a 20x20cm (8-inch) baking tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
- Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick, roughly the size of your tin. Transfer the dough to the prepared tin and press it into the edges and corners with your fingers.
- Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking beans once cool enough to handle.
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the baked pastry base, ensuring it reaches the edges and corners. Sprinkle the currants on top of the jam. Set aside.
For the Sponge Cake:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). In a large bowl, cream the margarine/butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next.
- Sift in the flour and gently fold to create a smooth batter. Spoon the batter over the jam-topped pastry, spreading it evenly to the edges and corners.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sponge is golden, bouncy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
For the Topping:
- Mix the icing sugar with boiling water until it reaches a slightly thick, pourable consistency. Pour the icing over the cooled cake while it’s still in the tin, spreading it evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and leave the cake in the tin until the icing sets – about 2-3 hours.
- Cut the cake into squares and carefully remove each slice from the tin to serve.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Storage: Keep your Snow Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days.
- Freezing: Once set, cut into squares and wrap each piece in cling film, then pop into a freezer-safe tub or bag. Defrost at room temperature before serving. For best results, freeze before icing.
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Substitutions:
- Pastry: Short on time? Ready-made shortcrust pastry works fine, though homemade gives a richer flavour.
- Jam: Raspberry jam is traditional, but you can use strawberry, blackcurrant, or even apricot – just be sure to go for a seedless variety.
- Currants: Classic recipes include currants scattered over the jam, but you can leave them out or replace them with sultanas or chopped glacé cherries.
- Flavouring: Add a little vanilla or lemon extract to the sponge mixture for an extra layer of flavour that complements the coconut topping beautifully.
Snow Cake is a traditional Scottish tray cake made with a layer of sweet shortcrust pastry, topped with raspberry jam & currants, a light sponge layer, and white icing topped with desiccated coconut. It gets its name from that snowy coconut topping and is a nostalgic favourite that many Scots remember from their childhood.
To make Snow Cake, you start by baking a shortcrust pastry base, which gets a brief blind-bake. Then you spread over seedless raspberry jam and a scattering of currants. Next, pour over a light sponge mixture and bake until golden. Once cooled, top with a simple white icing and finish with desiccated coconut before being sliced into squares.
Snow Cake is a traditional Scottish bake, believed to have originated in Scotland during the early to mid-20th century. It shares similarities with other layered bakes found in old bakery recipe books – a shortcrust pastry base, a simple sponge, and a sweet topping – but the coconut finish gives it that distinct “snowy” Scottish charm. Though its exact origins aren’t well-documented, and there are few written recipes still in circulation, it remains a nostalgic favourite across Scotland. This Scottish Snow Cake recipe is my version, based on the memories of many Scots who have been able to find one that resembles a Snow Cake like they remember.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: Swap the flour in the pastry for a gluten-free plain flour blend, or use a ready-made gluten-free shortcrust pastry if you prefer. For the sponge, use a gluten-free self-raising flour. Gluten-free flours can make both the pastry and sponge a little drier, so you may need to add a touch of extra water to the pastry or a small splash of milk to the sponge mixture.
Dairy-free: To make this a dairy-free Snow Cake, simply swap the butter for a good-quality dairy-free block margarine in both the pastry and sponge.
Egg-free: To make this an egg-free bake, simply replace each egg in the sponge with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water (leave it to sit for about 5 minutes before using). This will give a light texture similar to the original sponge. Alternatively you can try a shop-bought egg replacer, such as Oggs.
Vegan: To make Scottish Snow Cake vegan, use a dairy-free block margarine as above, and replace each egg in the sponge cake layer with a shop-bought egg replacer, or make a flaxseed-egg as above. Ensure your jam and icing sugar are vegan-friendly too.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
