Cornflake Tart

5 from 2 votes

Cornflake tart is a nostalgic pudding for many people in Britain who endured school dinners during their childhood. In fact, for most, treacle cornflake tart with a sticky layer of jam and copious amounts of custard was the highlight.

Prep Time30

Cook Time55

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert, Pudding

Cuisine: British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 355kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

1 8-inch tart tin around 1½ inches deep and preferably loose-bottomed

Ingredients

For the Shortcrust Pastry

180 g Plain flour
30 g Caster sugar
90 g Butter cold
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 Egg yolk large, free-range
2 tablespoons Water ice-cold

For the Jam and raspberry centre

100 g Raspberries fresh, do not use frozen or defrosted fruit
3 tablespoons Raspberry jam add an extra 1-2 tablespoons if not using fresh raspberries

For the Cornflake Topping

50 g Butter
100 g Golden syrup
30 g Light brown sugar
Salt - a pinch
100 g Cornflakes

Instructions

Make the Pastry

Put the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl, stir then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the egg yolk along with 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Beat them briefly to combine then use a blunt knife to mix them into the flour mixture.
Use your hands to gently push the ingredients together to form a dough.
Knead briefly on a lightly floured worktop until smooth (30 seconds).
Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 2-3mm and use to line an 8-inch tart tin.
Prick the base with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, put a flat baking sheet inside of the oven and preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM4.
Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill to the top with dried pulses (e.g lentils and small beans) and place on the baking sheet inside of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
Turn the heat down to 160C/ 310F/ GM 2 ½, remove the beans and parchment and bake for a further 20 minutes. Set aside. Leave the oven on at this heat.

Make the Jam Centre (if using fresh raspberries)

Roughly chop the fresh raspberries, sieve 1 teaspoon of flour over them and cook in a small pan, stirring constantly, until the fruit breaks down and turns jammy as the juice evaporates.
Remove from the heat, stir in the raspberry jam and set aside.

Make the Cornflake Topping

Melt the butter, golden syrup, sugar and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Do so gently, allowing the sugar to dissolve.
Stir in the cornflakes, mixing until they are all covered in the syrupy sauce.

Assemble and Bake

Spoon the jammy mixture over the bottom of the pastry case (if just using jam, spread 4-5 tablespoons over the pastry case base instead).
Top with the cornflakes, spreading them out (no need to press them down too firmly though).
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cornflakes just begin to take on a little colour.
Let the tart cool for around 45 minutes before slicing into it. Cornflake tart is best served just warm rather than hot.

Notes

Use digital scales and gram measurements as it’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients (the cup measuring system is incredibly imprecise, so I do not recommend it.
It is essential to pre-cook the fresh raspberries and combine them with the jam if you are using them. Do not just scatter them on top of the jam as, during baking, they will emit juice which will turn the tart soggy.
Feel free to use readymade shortcrust pastry if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own. You’ll need around 300g for this recipe.
When making the pastry use cold butter to ensure that the pastry does not get too warm. It will be much easier to handle as a result.
Dark metal heavy baking tins are better at absorbing heat than light-coloured tins.
The dough must be chilled before rolling out and again once the tin has been lined with it. Pastry that has not been chilled will, most likely, shrink significantly.
Blind baking the pastry case is essential to avoid a soggy-bottomed tart.
Put a baking sheet into the oven whilst it is heating up then sit the tart tin directly onto it whilst the pastry is blind baking and again when the filling has been added. This technique allows direct heat to get to the base of the tart which helps to reduce the risk of a soggy bottom.
Pick the best quality jam that you can afford. Look at the fruit content of the jam and select the one with the highest amount of fruit per 100g of jam – aim for at least 50%.
To make a gluten-free cornflake tart, ensure that you make gluten-free shortcrust pastry and use gluten-free cornflakes. Replace the small amount of flour used to thicken the fresh raspberries with cornflour, which is naturally gluten-free.
To make vegan cornflake tart use vegan block butter in place of regular butter and omit the egg yolk from the pastry dough, adding in an extra tablespoon of water to help bind the ingredients together. Also, ensure that you select vegan cornflakes (alot are not as they contain vitamin D derived from animals). It’s also worth checking that the sugar you are using is also vegan as some are not (most in the UK are).

Storage

This tart is best stored at room temperature and eaten on the day it is made. The cornflakes do turn stale relatively quickly.

Sadly, this school cornflake tart does not freeze well.

Nutrition