Easy Cornflake Tart with Jam (Old School Recipe) - A cheat's recipe for a much loved retro classic. In this old school recipe, syrupy Cornflakes sit on top of a crisp Shortcrust Pastry base with a layer of Strawberry Jam for added sweetness. Served with steaming hot Custard! This recipe can be made Vegan and Gluten Free.
Easy Cornflake Tart with Jam (Old School Recipe)
Cornflake tart is a nostalgic and delicious British school dinner dessert.
Here are other popular British recipes that you may enjoy Banoffee Pie or Brownie Trifle.
Cornflake Tart is very easy to make and can be made Vegan too.
In this version you have 2 options - Easy (Ready roll shortcrust Pastry) or Really Realllly Easy (Ready Shortcrust Pastry Base). The latter is the recipe I am sharing here.
I also share a recipe for Shortcrust Pastry below incase you fancy making it yourself.
Regardless of how you make the shortcrust pastry base, the rest of the recipe is straightforward to make.
All you need to do is spread jam over the base and top it with Syrupy Cornflakes made with few ingredients.
What is a Cornflake Tart?
Cornflake Tart is a popular British school dinner favourite.
It is made up of 3 main elements.
The first layer is a shortcrust pastry base.
The second layer is Jam.
The third layer is made up of Cornflakes mixed with golden syrup.
As unusual as it sounds, it is absolutely delicious!
Where does Cornflake Tart come from?
It is thought to be a Northern recipe that was served for school desserts in the 70s and 80s.
Cornflake Tart with pre made pastry case
For ease I make this recipe with shop brought shortcrust pastry or a shortcrust pastry case. It makes life a lot easier on busy days!
Can Cornflake Tart be made Gluten Free or Vegan?
Yes - Jus Rol Pastry is Vegan.
There are Vegan Custards available in most major supermarkets too as well as Dairy Free Milks and Spreads.
Gluten Free Short Crust Pastry, Flour and Cornflakes are available in most supermarkets too!
Can Cornflake Tart be made ahead of time?
Cornflake Tart is best eaten on the day.
The golden syrup begins to seep otherwise and this then affects the pastry.
Ingredients in Easy Cornflake Tart with Jam
Short Crust Pastry or Tart - Pastry Tart's are available in M&S, Sainsbury's and Tesco. I haven't seen them in Asda , Lidl or Aldi.
Plain Flour - If using pre rolled pastry, this is to help roll out the pastry and take away any moisture.
Milk - If using pre rolled Pastry, this helps to seal the Pastry but can be skipped.
Butter & Golden Syrup - For delicious sweetness and flavour.
Sugar - Light Brown or Dark Muscavado .
Strawberry Jam - Smooth rather then chunky.
Cornflakes - or Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
Custard to serve - Feel free to use a ready made one. This is meant to be the easiest Cornflake Tart after all.
How to make Cornflake Tart with pre rolled Shortcrust Pastry
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Line a tart tin with 320g pre-rolled shortcrust pastry and remove any excess.
Drape the pastry over the tin and use your fingers or a piece of the pastry to gently press into the edges.
Press out any air pockets.
Roll a rolling pin over the top to cut off the excess pastry or cut off some overhang and leave the rest.
This can be shaved off using a potato peeler after baked or cut off using a sharp knife.
Prick all over with a fork then freeze for 10 minutes.
Line the pastry with baking paper (scrunched up) or foil.
Top with rice or baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the baking paper with the beans and bake for 5 more minutes.
Remove pastry case from the oven and glaze with 2 tablespoon milk. Bake for 5-10 minutes.
Combine 140g golden syrup, 65g butter, 25g dark muscavado sugar and salt in a pan and melt gently over medium low heat or microwave in 10 second bursts.
Mix in the cornflakes and stir to coat.
Spread 115g Strawberry jam over the pastry base then top with the cornflake mixture.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
How to make Easy Cornflake Tart with Pre made Tart Case
Combine golden syrup, butter, sugar and salt in a pan and melt gently over medium low heat or microwave in 10 second bursts.
Mix in the cornflakes and stir to coat.
Spread the jam over the 190g pastry base then top with the cornflake mixture.
Bake on a oven tray in a preheated oven (180 C/Gas Mark 4) for 5 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
How to make Homemade Shortcrust Pastry Base
In a bowl combine 225g Plain Flour, 1 tablespoon Icing Sugar and a pinch of Salt. Rub together to form breadcrumbs.
Add 1 Egg Yolk and 1 tablespoon of Cold Water and mix together to form a dough. Try not to handle the dough too much. Add a tablespoon or 2 more water if needed.
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove baking paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes.
How to serve Easy Cornflake Tart with Jam
Serve warm or cold with custard or cream.
How to store a Cornflake Tart?
Cornflake Tart can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 5 days.
The cornflakes will not be as crisp and the syrup will begin to seep though but it will still be delicious!
Variations for Easy Cornflake Tart
Use Crunchy Nut Cornflakes instead and skip the added Sugar.
You can use any Sugar you like here but Muscavado works best - Light or Dark.
You can use Raspberry Jam orang other rich fruit jam instead.
Top tips for making Cornflake Tart
To make this process as simple as possible, here are my top tips:
If using Pre Rolled Shortcrust Pastry:
You can either cut off the overhang before baking or leave some pastry hanging over and shave it off using a potato peeler after baking. This is a tip I picked up from Pastry Queen Julie Jones.
The Pastry and your hands should be cold before baking. This will stop it from shrinking rapidly as the butter in the pastry will be cold.
The tin does not need to be lined - It is easy to remove the pastry base without any lining.
Blind Baking is essential in any recipe using Shortcrust Pastry for a crisp pastry base.
If you are making the Shortcrust Pastry yourself:
Everything has to be super cold! The butter and water needs to be cold and the pastry once made should be kept cold.
Cornflakes Mixture:
Heat the Syrup ingredients gently - It is easy to burn these by cooking at high heat.
Make sure you mix the Cornflakes into the Syrup really thoroughly to ensure they are coated all over and stick together.
Make sure the Cornflakes are coloured and a dark golden brown before removing from the oven.
If you don’t have golden syrup, use honey or maple syrup. They will not have the same flavour though and maple syrup is thinner.
Can you freeze Cornflake tart?
Yes it can be frozen fir up to 3 months.
Cover in 2 layers of cling film and 1 layer of foil before freezing.
To reheat leave to thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat at a low heat in the oven for 4 - 5 minutes.
More easy dessert recipes:
Nutella Triple Chocolate Cookie Dough
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Easy Cornflake Tart with Jam (Old School Recipe)
Ingredients
- 140 g Golden Syrup
- 65 g Butter
- 25 g Dark Muscavado Sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 100 g Cornflakes or Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
- 115 g Strawberry Jam
- 190 g Shortcrust Pastry Case
Instructions
- Combine golden syrup, butter, sugar and salt in a pan and melt gently over medium low heat or microwave in 10 second bursts.
- Mix in the cornflakes and stir to coat.
- Spread the jam over the pastry base then top with the cornflake mixture.
- Bake on a oven tray in a preheated oven (180 C/Gas Mark 4) for 5 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Serve with Custard.
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