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Snow Cake Recipe (From Scotland)

This Scottish Snow Cake recipe starts with a rich short crust pastry bottom, raspberry jam, light cake topped with icing and then coconut. It’s a coconut lover’s dream.

snow cake on a plate

Little did I know before starting to post this recipe that there’s a film from 2006 named Snow Cake, which, incidentally, has absolutely nothing to do with this snow cake recipe.

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I always research before posting a recipe because I don’t want anyone to think I copied them. I was surprised to see so much about the movie, but it was great to see that no one else has shared this recipe before. This is most likely due to the fact that I probably have the last remaining copy of this old Scottish cookbook!

Scottish Snow Cake vintage recipe

You may recognize the photo above from my award-winning snow cookies recipe post. My snow cookies were inspired by this snow cake my mother used to make from a Lofty Peak paper cookbook when I was a little girl in Scotland. My snow cookies won two separate contests! Click the link or photo for the full recipe.

Snow Cookies

Snow Cookies

So there’s not much else to tell you about this cake except that it’s rather unique, and extremely delicious! You may have noticed that many of the Scottish recipes I’ve shared include raspberry jam and coconut. Like these snowballs or the coconut tartlets I’ve shared below.

You’ve probably also realized that I love coconut by now, so if you’re like me, you simply have to try this cake. (For best results, please use a scale.) However, if you are a “coconut hater”, simply skip the last step and leave the coconut off the icing. And avert your eyes on the following recipes! 🥥 Haha!

Unlike this banana coconut bundt cake

Banana Coconut Bundt Cake with Coconut Icing

Or these Scottish coconut tartlets.

Coconut and jam tarts (coconut tartlets)

Scottish Snow Cake Recipe

adapted from a Lofty Peak recipe         makes one 9 x 13 cake

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry

Cake

  • butter
  • superfine or Baker’s sugar (caster sugar in the UK)
  • eggs
  • self-rising flour, or all purpose flour with baking powder
  • a pinch of salt

Topping

Make the Pastry Base

Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter finely into the sugar, but do not cream.

cutting butter and sugar in a bowl

Add the egg yolk and stir to combine.

adding egg to sugar and butter

Add the flour.

adding flour to eggs, sugar and butter for Snow Cake

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it has a breadcrumb texture.

Pastry making for Snow Cake

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9″x 13″ cake pan, pressing firmly.

snow cake pastry base

Bake for about 10 minutes. Don’t let it start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, while making the cake batter.

Lower the oven temperature to 350° F (180°C)

Make the Cake

In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. It will begin to pale in color, too.

creamed butter and sugar

Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed.

creamed butter and sugar and eggs

Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour and just mix until well combined.

Prepare the Cake for Baking

Spoon the jam evenly onto the pastry base taking care not to let it reach the side of the pan.

spooning jam on the base

Place dollops of cake batter all over the jam to make it easier to spread. (Try not to let the jam get mixed into the batter.)

adding cake on top of the jam

Spread the batter evenly all over the jam and pastry.

snow cake ready to bake

Pop the cake into the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until you start to smell the cake and it looks well risen (through the glass). Gently insert a cake tester or skewer into the center of the cake to check that it’s completely cooked before removing from the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Scottish snow cake baked in a pan

Decorate the Snow Cake.

Run a knife around the cake, down to the pastry, then shake the pan. You should feel that the cake is loose in the pan before decorating it. Don’t worry about any imperfections as the icing and coconut will hide everything!

Put the confectioner’s sugar in a bowl and slowly add the milk or water a little at a time (1/2 tsp) until a thick, but runny consistency is reached. Adjust with more sugar or liquid if you see the icing isn’t spreading nicely. Cover the cake with this icing.

icing the snow cake

Before the icing begins to dry, sprinkle generously with finely shredded, unsweetened coconut.

adding coconut to the snow cake

Allow the icing to dry and set completely which will take a few hours. Once it’s set, use a serrated knife to cut the cake into squares (cutting into 18 pieces is a good size). Alternatively, you can cut the Scottish snow cake into fingers or even diamond shapes. Keep covered at room temperature.

Piece of Snow Cake on a Christmas plate

Piece of Snow Cake on a Christmas plate

Scottish Snow Cake Recipe

Servings: 18 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
A sponge cake baked onto a raspberry jam covered pastry and topped with icing and coconut! Dreamy!
4.8 from 49 votes

Ingredients

Short Crust Pastry

  • 2 c all purpose flour plain flour in UK
  • 6 oz butter 1 ½ sticks, cold, unsalted
  • ¼ c sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • pinch salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • 8 oz raspberry jam (to cover the pastry)

Cake 

  • 6 oz butter unsalted and at room temperature (if you only have salted butter, omit the salt)
  • c superfine or Baker’s sugar (caster sugar in the UK)
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 ¼ c self-rising flour all purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder, SIFTED
  • pinch salt

Topping

  • 1 c confectioner's/powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp water or milk (add as needed for consistency required)
  • ½ c unsweetened coconut shredded, to sprinkle on top - more or less as desired

Instructions

  • Oven temp 375˚F (190˚C) for pastry.
  • Make the Pastry Base
  • Using two knives of a pastry cutter, cut the butter finely into the sugar, but do not cream.
  • Add the egg yolk and stir to combine.
  • Add the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it has a breadcrumb texture.
  • Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" cake pan, pressing firmly.
  • Bake for about 10 minutes. Don't let it start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, while making the cake batter.
  • Lower the oven temperature to 350° F (180°C)
  • Make the Cake
  • In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. It will begin to pale in color, too.
  • Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed.
  • Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour and just mix until well combined. 
  • Prepare the Cake for Baking
  • Spoon the jam evenly onto the pastry base taking care not to let it reach the side of the pan.
  • Place dollops of cake batter all over the jam to make it easier to spread. (Try not to let the jam get mixed into the batter.)
  • Spread the batter evenly all over the jam and pastry.
  • Pop the cake into the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Do not open the oven until you start to smell the cake and it looks well risen (through the glass). Gently insert a cake tester or skewer into the center of the cake to check that it's completely cooked before removing from the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
  • Decorate the Snow Cake
  • Run a knife around the cake, down to the pastry, then shake the pan. You should feel that the cake is loose in the pan before decorating it.
  • Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl and slowly add the milk or water a little at a time (1/2 tsp) until a thick, but runny consistency is reached. Adjust with more sugar or liquid if you see the icing isn't spreading nicely. Cover the cake with this icing.
  • Before the icing begins to dry, sprinkle generously with finely shredded, unsweetened coconut.
  • Allow the icing to dry and set completely which will take a few hours. Once it's set, use a serrated knife to cut the cake into squares (cutting into 18 pieces is a good size). Alternatively, you can cut the Scottish Snow Cake into fingers or even diamond shapes. Keep covered at room temperature.

Notes

  • Jam and coconut are to be used "as desired".

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 527IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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4.76 from 49 votes (49 ratings without comment)

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52 Comments

  1. Oh Christina, you’ve done it again. This snow cake is wonderful, really more-ish.
    I made it for today’s quilt group, and cut into 24 pieces – and guess what – many compliments. I must say that my pastry normally is not up to much, but this one tasted like shortbread. It is definitely on my list of go-to cakes. Thank you so so much.
    Val (UK)

  2. How lovely for Christmas time and any time of year, Christina. You know, I can just taste that, as it reminds me of a cake we had in Scotland when I was even a teenager – and had no idea it was a snow cake! Snow that cake again, is it? Heeeheee couldn’t resist a pun!

  3. Must make this. I know will be delicious. I got a recipe from a Scottish lady in 1961 and it’s always made at Christmas. Similar to this one. Pastry bottom, raspberry jam and then the cake. This cake has no levener but the eggs. Rice flour instead of wheat flour and almond flavouring. The batter is divided in half and pink tints one half and pale green the other. These are dropped, by spoonful onto the jam. You don’t smooth it. Icing is also almond flavoured. When cut you have a beautiful checkerboard effect.

  4. Similar to the Amy Johnson slice here in Australia, except our jam layer also includes currants. A little fiddly, but worth the effort.