You can't beat a simple old-fashioned cake recipe. This farmhouse-style cake has a scattering of Sultanas (you can add more if desired?) inside an indulgent crumbly vanilla sponge.
Follow along with our easy baking instructions in UK & US measurements to make this Manor House Sultana Cake.
If you don't want to commit to baking a larger cake, but still want a delicious sultana-filled cake, why not try making our rock cakes or fruit flapjacks?
What is Manor House Sultana cake?
If you love Mr Kipling's Manor House cake this recipe is for you! It is the closest thing to it we have made, we all know he does not share his secret recipe! But I can tell you this is exceedingly good 🙂
See our step by step slide show on how we made our Manor House Sultana cake, full ingredients and instructions can be found on the card below.
Making Homemade Sultana Cake
This is a quick and easy cake to put together! As long as you measure all ingredients out, there is no way of failing!
How many sultanas to use in Manor House cake recipe?
We think less is more regarding the amount of sultanas to add. Of course, if you want more, go ahead!
We used ½ cup (80g), which as seen in the pictures, gives a lightly fruited cake. Feel free to double or even triple it if you want.
How to make Sultanas plump and juicy?
Put sultanas in a saucepan with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Then, turn the heat off and allow them to sit for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the sponge mix.
Beat the sugar and butter until creamy (we used a mixer to help speed it up).
Add three eggs and stir to combine.
Add Vanilla Extract
Make a cornflour slurry using 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water, stir until no lumps and then add another 2 tablespoon of water. Pour into cake mixture and stir.
Sift flour into the bowl and finally add baking powder.
Mix all together.
How to stop sultanas from sinking into a cake
After the sultanas have been plumped from the boiling method and had 10 minutes to swell, drain the sultanas. Add a tablespoon of flour and toss the sultanas to be coated in flour.
Fold the sultanas into the mix. Place in a greased springform cake base I used a 20cm / 8inch round one and flatten the mixture as best you can.
Cook in a preheated oven at 160C (fan) /320F for 1 hour.
There you have it, a perfectly well-made Classic Sultana cake. Best served with a nice cup of tea!
Add a sprinkle of more sugar to the cake before serving it to your guests! Demerara sugar is best. However, this time, I did not have it to hand, so I used granulated sugar, which was still good!
Luke chose this for me to cook him for his birthday cake this year. Wonderfully scrumptious! We love a classic British Bake, our Madeira cake recipe is another of our favourites!
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Manor House Sultana Cake
Ingredients
- 215 grams (1 ¾ cups) Plain flour
- 225 grams (1 cup) Unsalted Butter
- 200 grams (1 cup) Caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour - mixed with 3 tablespoon water
- 3 medium Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 80 grams (½ cup) Sultanas
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 160°C (fan) 320 F
- Put sultanas in a saucepan with enough water to cover them, bring to the boil. Then turn the heat off and allow them to sit for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the sponge mix.80 grams (½ cup) Sultanas
- Beat the sugar and butter together until creamy ( we used a cake mixer to help speed it up), add 3 eggs and stir to combined. Add Vanilla extract.225 grams (1 cup) Unsalted Butter, 200 grams (1 cup) Caster sugar, 3 medium Eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Make a cornflour slurry using 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water, stir until no lumps and then add another 2 tablespoon of water. Pour into cake mixture and stir.1 tablespoon Cornflour
- Sift flour into the bowl and finally add baking powder. Mix all together.Add a tablespoon of flour in with the drained sultanas to coat in flour (this helps stop them sinking)215 grams (1 ¾ cups) Plain flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 80 grams (½ cup) Sultanas
- Fold the sultanas into the mix. Place in a greased springform cake base I used a 20cm / 8inch round one and flatten the mixture as best you can.80 grams (½ cup) Sultanas
- Bake for 1 hour, leave to cool and sprinkle with extra sugar before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Updated on 17/11/2023 to improve blog post image layout and include more cake recipe suggestions.
How to store Sultana Cake?
This cake keeps well. Store in a large airtight container or wrap well with cling film/ foil (ensure completely covered air will dry it out) at room temperature for up to 7 days.
That's if it will last that long before it gets eaten!
Looking for another fruit-filled recipe? Check out our classic British recipe for Bread Pudding.
More Cake Recipes
If you're looking for a delicious cake to wow your guests, we have a variety of cakes from chocolate Victoria sponge or a lemon drizzle cake or small chocolate chip cupcakes to choose from.
- Iced Buns with Sprinkles
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Steamed Christmas Pudding
- Madeira Cake Loaf Tin Recipe
Hope you enjoy this Manor House Sultana cake as much as we do, please let us know in the comments how you get on.
Christopher
Excellent cake. Thank you for the recipe. It's light, moist and tasty. My partner is very particular about cake and this passed his test ! I used the 'all in one' method and it turned out, as I said, excellent. I just increased the baking powder to three teaspoons. Certainly one of my 'go to' cake recipes now.
Luke and Kay
Thank you so much for your positive review, Christopher! We are thrilled to hear that our Manor House sultana cake recipe was a hit with both you and your partner. We strive to provide simple and delicious recipes for all to enjoy, and we are glad this cake is now one of your go-to's. Happy baking!
Steph
I’m a Brit transplanted in Canada for 30 yrs, ‘Mr. Kipling’ brings back memories of Sunday tea time. Love this recipe and it’s now a favourite of the Canadian grandkids. Couple of tiny tweaks……I use a mix of golden raisins, a few chopped glacé cherries and a bit of mixed peel (when I can get it). Cook in two smallish loaf pans 160 deg fan for 40 to 45 mins.. The second cake usually leaves the house with whoever has been visiting 😘Thanks for a brilliant recipe.
Luke and Kay
Hi Steph, thank you for your 5-star review! We're so happy to hear that our Manor House Sultana Cake recipe was a hit with both your Canadian grandkids and any visitors you have over! Thank you for sharing your tips on using a mix of ingredients and cooking in two small loaf pans. We love hearing how our recipes can be personalized to fit different tastes. Happy baking!
Carol W
I just made this for the first time and I have to say, it's the best cake I have made in my 68 years. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Luke and Kay
Thank you, Carol, for your wonderful review! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this Madeira cake so much. It is truly an honour to know that you have been baking for 68 years and we are so pleased that our recipe could make such a delicious treat that you can enjoy. We value your opinion and hope to delight many others with our recipes in the future. Thank you for sharing your experience and we hope to make more delightful treats for you in the future. 🙂
Debbie
I've made this cake about 6 times now and every single time the sultanas have sunk to the bottom.
I have followed the recipe to the letter, then I have tried tweaks like changing egg sizes, changing the amount of cornflour slurry (both in terms of quantity of water and cornflour), changing how long I mix it for, I have tried my main oven with fan assist and my top oven without fan, I have soaked the sultanas, not soaked the sultanas (but still floured them), I just don't know what else I can try.
Luckily my hubby doesn't care, he really likes the cake, but I am determined to win this battle! But I am completely out of ideas on what else I can try.
Luke and Kay
Thanks for your comment Debbie 🙂
One trick to keep in mind for next time is to add a touch more flour to make the mixture thicker. This will definitely help to keep your sultanas from sinking straight to the bottom of your cake. Keep us posted on how your next bake turns out! 🙂
Karen
I've made this many times. I don't soak the sultanas but toss them in self raising flour, they never sink. I do find I have to bake for 1hr 15 mins. Hope you succeed.
Debbie
The cake was delish. Moist and very tasty, but all my sultanas sank to the bottom. I did roll them in flour, any thoughts?
Also what is the cake mixer that you are using in the photos? Is it an attachment for your stand mixer or part of another piece of equipment?
Luke and Kay
Thanks for the comment, Debbie 🙂
We used a cake mixer.
In step three, make sure sugar and butter are creamed together until its pale, light and fluffy; ensure you use medium eggs as large will the cake mix too runny, which leads the sultanas to sink when cooking; if you look at the blog post, there is a picture to see how thick the mixture is when in the cake tin, this will give you an idea on how thick it should be.
I hope it goes well, and let us know how you get on 😉
Liz Brown
This cake is amazing, both my husband and I love it but I was wondering if the mixture can be put in to cases to make individual cakes and how long they would have to be cooked?
Nic Bescoby
Made this loads of times now and it always comes out great! PERFECT with a cup of tea when I'm taking a bit of a break at work!
Kay
Thank you for trying our Manor House Cake recipe, Nic! We're glad you've made it multiple times, and it always turns out great. This cake is perfect for a break with a cup of tea. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Sammie
Hi, your Manor House cake looks absolutely delicious. I’m really curious about the cornflour slurry. What affect does it have on the recipe and is it essential? I can’t wait to give this cake a try.
Kay
Hi Sammie, thank you for reaching out to us; the corn starch acts as a thickening agent and helps make the desired crumbly sponge without drying it out.
Christine Morris
Love this cake so easy,the second time i made it i put some cinnamon in,really lush.thank you. Tina.
Kay
Thank you so much, Christine 🙂
So glad you liked our Manor house cake recipe, this is Luke's Favourite lol
We will have to give it a try with cinnamon, sounds good 😉
Tim
Great cake, easy to follow instruction. Everyone thought it was very tasty 😋
Luke
Thank you, Tim, glad you liked the manor house cake, and the cooking instructions were easy 🙂
Always great to have a slice of this cake with a cup of tea or coffee 😉
Robert Hollingworth
made it twice now ,and it came out great ,and putting the fruit in flour to stop it sinking worked out fine I might add a few nuts next time .
Kay
Thank you, Robert 🙂
So pleased you like our Manor house cake recipe, always great with a good cuppa 😉
Add some nuts sounds good, let us know how it goes?
Enjoy!!
Lyn
Would currents be ok instead of sultanas
Kay
Sorry for the late reply Lyn, we have been away!
We have never made this recipe with currants, but being a dried grape it's the perfect substitute for sultanas, you could also use raisins in the same way, let us know how it goes ?
Enjoy:)
Hinal
I’m looking forward to making this cake. Just wondered if it could be made in muffin cases ? In which case - how long would it need at 160C? I only have large eggs so hope that will be okay too.
Kay
Hi Hinal
I would divide the sultana cake mix evenly into each case and cook for around 25mins on 160C
Let us know how its goes?
Enjoy!!