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.