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, Queen 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 🙂
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!
See our recipe card and step by step slide show on how we made our Manor House Sultana cake, more tips for ingredients and instructions can be found below the card.
📖 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 07/03/2025 to improve blog post image layout and include more cake recipe suggestions.
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!
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 Parkin Cake, chocolate Victoria sponge or a lemon drizzle cake or small chocolate chip cupcakes to choose from.
- Easy Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles
- Queen Cakes - Raisin Cupcakes
- Giant Cookie with Chocolate Chips
- Parkin Cake - Lancashire Gingerbread Cake
Hope you enjoy this Manor House Sultana cake as much as we do, please let us know in the comments how you get on.
Helen says
Hi, I'm going to make this cake at the weekend and wondered what size eggs are best and what type of butter to use please?
Luke says
Hi Helen, This is a great question and I am going to add this to the recipe card to help others in the future too! It makes a big difference to the cake texture if using different sized eggs.
I used medium eggs and unsalted butter.
Hope this helps and happy baking! 🙂
Graham says
2nd time I’ve made this, but made the mistake this time of adding the eggs to the food processor. They separated! No more butter so I’ll have to wait a couple of days now. Incidentally, I added boiling water to the sultanas the first time and they were perfectly distributed. Lovely cake, I’ll be more careful next time.
Luke says
Hi Graham
Thanks for the comment!!
Glad you liked the recipe, let us know how it goes when you make it again:)
Faye Upfield says
I've made this twice now, the second time with self raising flour as I was out of plain and it is delicouse, for my third one I may try some difference fruit and perhaps some critus fruit zest to try something new
Luke says
Hi Faye
So glad you like this recipe, I love this cake, I always have this for my birthday, it's my favourite:)
Trying citrus fruits sounds good, let us know how it goes?
Thanks, Luke
Karen Paxton says
Fabulous easy recipe. I followed it completely and have made a perfect Manor House cake. It looks and tastes amazing. Feeling vet proud of myself.
Kay says
You should be very proud! Well done to you! 🙂
Barbara Rodway says
Love this recipe - it was my mum's favourite too!
I have made it 3 times now and each time the sultanas have sunk to the bottom - still delicious though but frustrating. I have tried flouring and not flouring and still they sink - next time I might try not boiling the sultanas and just sticking them in dry.
Comments re large eggs ...... I use medium fresh eggs from my daughter's chickens and the mixture is not runny but still the sultanas go south, such fun! but I am determined to find a way around the "problem".
Bev shippley says
Never baked a cake ever before and Manor House cake is my family’s fave so I tried it. So my first attempt at baking was very good I must say so myself so I made another one and all of my sultanas sunk to the bottom ?!? I think my eggs were too big I used extra large so my next attempt I will make sure they’re just large. But what a great cake that compares impressively to Mr Kipling
Kay says
Brilliant, glad you had success the first time! Yes, the larger eggs would probably be the problem as it would make the cake mixture runnier and the sultanas will easily fall to the bottom. Did you dust them with flour before adding them too, as this helps. Thank you for sharing your results much appreciated!
Leslie says
I can't tell you how much I enjoy an easy, no-fail recipe! haha. This looks simple, yet classic. Perfect recipe!
Kay says
Thank you Leslie 🙂 One of our favourite cakes (I have many!!)
Chef Dennis says
Yum! I am actually very excited to try this cake! Your Manor House Sultana Cake recipe looks really mouthwatering!
Lilly says
This looks delicious! I've never had sultana cake before! I cannot wait to try it!
Patricia Macdonald says
The cake was delicious, however after following the recipe to the letter, the sultanas went south!! I'll make it again though, maybe without fruit
Kay says
Hi Patricia, it strange as I have never had this happen, someone mentioned this happened to her second making of this cake, in which she used larger eggs? This makes the cake batter runnier, causing the fruit to sink.
Linda says
Keep baking as l am sure your home baked one is 90% an improvement on the shop bought fruit cake as that has so little fruit in it you could count the fruit on one hand. Don't buy it from a shop not even worth £1.
Kay says
Thank you Linda, we will be baking more cakes soon!
Bernadette Balding says
Think your ovens thermostat is wrong, they all vary, but, 2 hrs no way. My oven normally takes five minutes less to most recipes cooking time. I put oven on about half way through mixing the mixture, oven is piping hot 160 deg for 55 mins. Only problem fruit sinks to just below half way if i boil up the fruit. I love this method as the fruit is plump and juicy" I am trying different methods when adding fruit to the mixture, to stop the fruit from sinking. If I'm lucky to find a way you bet I will be in touch.
B says
This is the second time I have baked this cake.
The timing is all wrong, it needs two hours then test texture.
Other wise, it is a nice cake
B
John says
If it is taking 2 hours to bake then there is something wrong with your oven I have used this recipe many times and the timings are perfect
Gilli says
If I wanted to do this in the bigger 23cm tin what measurements of ingredients would I need please. Want to make this for my dad.
Bernadette Balding says
Just like Mr K Manor House. Cake. I find that if I don't put fruit in water and bring to the boil but just add it then the fruit distributes about the mixture, but although I flour the fruit up before adding to the mixture, its well distributed but it sinks to about an inch from bottom. Next time I bake it I'm going to try something different, but still bring the fruit to the boil. I want to do that because the fruit is so plump and tastier.c
Sam says
Yum, this cake looks delicious! It would go so well with a nice cup of tea of coffee. Will have to try this soon!
Kay says
Thank you Sam, perfect little afternoon snack with a cuppa 😉
Linda says
Yummy cake! I've never baked and added a slurry before but the result made for one moist flavorful cake. I'm not really into sultanas so i went with your recommendation and it was just the perfect amount. This will be something to nibble on for that mid-afternoon slump.