Cornflake Tart Recipe

Cornflake tart is the school-dinner pudding that people over a certain age still describe with something close to reverence — a shortcrust pastry case spread with jam and topped with cornflakes bound in golden syrup, baked until the topping is toasted and set. It was a fixture of British school canteens through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, cheap to make in bulk and, unusually for the era, genuinely popular with the children eating it. This is the classic school-dinner version, made properly and at home. The full ingredients, timings and method are in the recipe card below.

Cornflake Tart

The classic school-dinner cornflake tart: a shortcrust pastry case, a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam, and a golden-syrup cornflake topping baked until set. Serve in slices with custard.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine English

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

  

For the pastry

• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g cold butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 tbsp cold water to bind

For the filling

• 150 g raspberry or strawberry jam about 4-5 tbsp
• 75 g butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 100 g cornflakes lightly crushed

Instructions

 

• Rub the cold butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, bringing the dough together with a knife. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 20cm tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for a further 15 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas 6). Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans, and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the base is dry and very lightly coloured. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Spread the jam evenly over the base of the pastry case.
• Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan over a low heat until smooth. Take off the heat and fold in the cornflakes until they are evenly coated, taking care not to crush them too much — some texture should remain.
• Spoon the cornflake mixture over the jam and press down gently until the jam is fully covered.
• Return the tart to the oven for 5 minutes, just long enough to lightly toast the cornflakes and help the topping set. Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing into squares or triangles.

Notes

Serve with a jug of custard for the full school-dinner effect, though the tart is just as good on its own once cool. Keep any leftovers in an airtight tin for two to three days — the cornflakes soften slightly over time but the flavour holds.

Tips and variations

Raspberry jam is the traditional choice, though strawberry works just as well — use whichever you have open in the cupboard. Go easy pressing the cornflake topping down: firm enough to hold together when sliced, but not so hard that you crush all the crunch out of it. And it is worth resisting the urge to skip the second short bake — those five minutes are what toast the cornflakes and set the syrup, rather than leaving it soft and sticky.

It is also worth saying plainly: one of the cheapest bakes you will make all year — a box of cornflakes, a jar of jam and a tin of golden syrup go a long way, and there is no need to buy anything remotely fancy for it to taste exactly as it should. Serve it in slices with a proper jug of custard, warm or cold, and it keeps well in an airtight tin for a couple of days if it lasts that long.

If school-dinner nostalgia is your sort of thing, you may also enjoy Mrs Robin’s Fruit Cake, another old-fashioned family recipe with the same forgiving, made-from-the-store-cupboard spirit.