A classic cornflake tart with jam and golden syrup cornflakes served with simple three ingredient pink custard. Made with sweet shortcrust pastry for a traditional school dinner pudding.
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Classic Cornflake Tart Recipe With Pink Custard
Description
Cornflake tart is one of those puddings that many people remember from school dinners. A warm slice of tart with custard poured generously over the top was always a welcome sight on the tray. However the school dinner ladies were strict in my 70’s and 80’s school days. If you didn’t eat your dinner (such as liver and onions) you didn’t get your dessert!
In fact I thought I had already shared this recipe somewhere, but when I went looking for it I realised it had never actually made it onto the page. Which is surprising because it gets made fairly often here, especially when we fancy something a little nostalgic after dinner.
The tart itself is wonderfully simple. A crisp pastry base, a generous layer of jam and then that familiar cornflake topping made with butter, golden syrup and sugar. Once baked the cornflakes turn sticky and golden and form that crunchy topping many of us remember.
For the pastry I usually make my own sweet shortcrust pastry, which works beautifully with the sweetness of the filling. If you have a favourite recipe you can certainly use that, or a ready rolled pastry will work perfectly well too. I will link to my own sweet shortcrust pastry recipe if you would like to make it from scratch.
Of course cornflake tart is rarely served on its own. Around here it is always paired with pink custard. The pink custard is made using raspberry blancmange powder which gives that familiar colour and flavour many people remember from school dinners. It only uses three ingredients and comes together very quickly.
It is the sort of comforting pudding that works just as well after a Sunday lunch as it does with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Ingredients
For the Pastry Base
- 1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (see my homemade recipe)
or
1 sheet ready rolled shortcrust pastry
For the Tart Filling
- 5 tablespoons strawberry jam
For the Cornflake Topping
- 50 g butter
- 120 g golden syrup
- 30 g light brown sugar
- 120 g cornflakes
For My 3 Ingredient Pink Custard
- 568 ml milk (1 pint)
- 1 packet Pearce Duff’s strawberry blancmange powder ( I have an affiliate link above for it)
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 160°C fan.
- Line a 23 cm tart tin with your sweet shortcrust pastry. Press the pastry gently into the corners and trim away any excess.
- Place a sheet of baking paper inside the pastry case and fill with baking beans or rice.
- Bake the pastry case for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for another 5 minutes until lightly golden.
- Spread the strawberry jam evenly across the base of the pastry.
- In a saucepan gently melt the butter, golden syrup and light brown sugar together until smooth.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cornflakes so they are well coated in the syrup mixture.
- Spoon the cornflake mixture over the jam layer and spread it out evenly.
- Return the tart to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cornflakes are golden.
- Allow the tart to cool slightly before slicing.
To Make the Pink Custard
- Pour a small amount of the milk into a bowl and mix it with the blancmange powder until smooth.
- Place the remaining milk and the caster sugar into a saucepan and warm gently over a medium heat.
- Once the milk is warm, stir in the blancmange mixture.
- Continue stirring until the custard thickens into a smooth pink sauce.
- Serve warm over slices of cornflake tart.
Notes
You don’t have to serve it with pink custard, you can use normal custard. Its just pure nostalgia for me with the school dinner ladies!
Why is cornflake tart associated with school dinners?
Cornflake tart became popular in school kitchens because it used inexpensive cupboard ingredients and could easily be made in large trays.
Can I make cornflake tart with homemade pastry?
Yes. Sweet shortcrust pastry works particularly well as it adds a gentle sweetness to the base of the tart.
Can I use shop bought pastry?
Absolutely. Ready rolled shortcrust pastry works very well if you would like a quicker option.
How should cornflake tart be served?
It is traditionally served warm with custard, and pink custard is a favourite for many people who remember school dinners.