Chocolate Cornflake Cakes Kids Can Make Themselves
Chocolate cornflake cakes take four ingredients: 250g chocolate, 80g butter, 4 tablespoons of golden syrup and 150g of cornflakes. Melt the first three, stir in the cornflakes, spoon into about 15 paper cases and chill for 20 to 30 minutes. That’s the quantities from Liana’s Kitchen, one of the UK recipes that ranks for them, and it’s the one I’d start with. There’s no oven involved. The only hot step is melting, so a grown-up does that. Children aged three and up can do almost everything else themselves.
That’s why they’re the best rainy-afternoon bake going. Very little can go wrong, nothing needs weighing to the gram, and the result looks like something from a school fair.
The recipe (makes about 15)
These quantities are from Liana’s Kitchen, which makes “about 15 individual cakes”:
- 250g chocolate, milk or dark, or a mix of the two
- 80g butter
- 4 tbsp golden syrup (Liana lists it as optional)
- 150g cornflakes
- 15 paper cupcake cases, or a set of reusable silicone cases like these Tala silicone cupcake cases if you make them often
Method:
- Line up the cases first on a tray or in a bun tin. Once the chocolate is melted, nobody has a spare hand.
- Melt the chocolate, butter and syrup together. Use the microwave in short bursts, or a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Liana warns not to let the chocolate overheat, or “it will be too thick and you won’t be able to cover the cornflakes”. Hint of Helen’s recipe adds that over-microwaved chocolate “will go grainy”. Stop while there are a few small lumps and stir until they melt.
- Pour it over the cornflakes and fold gently until every flake is coated. Fold, don’t beat, or you crush the cornflakes into crumbs.
- Spoon into the cases. Two dessertspoons, one to scoop and one to push it off.
- Chill for 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge until set.
Kept in an airtight container, Liana says they last “up to 5 days”. In practice, in a house with children, they won’t.
Who does what: a job list by age
This is the bit that makes them a whole afternoon, not ten minutes. A grown-up only needs to do the hot step.
| Job | Who can do it |
|---|---|
| Lining up the cases | Age 2 and up, with some cases on the floor |
| Breaking the chocolate into pieces | Age 3 and up, in its wrapper so it doesn’t go everywhere |
| Measuring out the cornflakes | Age 4 and up, on kitchen scales |
| Melting and pouring | Grown-up only: the bowl gets hot |
| Folding the cornflakes in | Age 4 and up, once the chocolate has cooled for a minute |
| Spooning into cases | Age 4 and up (the messiest, happiest job) |
| Decorating | Everyone |
| Carrying the tray to the fridge | Age 6 and up, slowly |
For an only child, give them every job. For two, split it: one breaks the chocolate and the other measures cornflakes, then they take turns spooning. Doing the jobs at the same time is what stops the fight over who gets to stir.
Older children, from about eight, can usually melt the chocolate in the microwave themselves with you in the kitchen, using short bursts and an oven glove for the bowl.
A smaller batch for a smaller bowl
If 15 cakes is too many, Hint of Helen makes “6 large or 12 small” with 100g cornflakes, 300g chocolate, 80g butter, 50g golden syrup and 4 marshmallows melted in with the chocolate. That’s a lot more chocolate per cornflake than Liana’s, so the cakes come out richer and more solid. She chills them for 10 minutes, or leaves them at room temperature for 30.
Which ratio to use depends on your children. If they like crunch, use Liana’s. If they like chocolate, use Helen’s.
Easter nests (and other versions)
The same mix is the classic Easter nest. Push a dip into the middle of each cake with the back of a teaspoon before it sets, then add two or three mini chocolate eggs. Liana calls Mini Eggs “a classic for Easter treats”, and Hint of Helen adds “2-3 mini eggs on top”.
Other ideas that cost little or nothing:
- Halloween: dark chocolate, with a couple of sweets as eyes.
- Christmas: white chocolate drizzled over the top once set.
- Birthday tray bake: press the whole mix into a lined tin and cut into squares. Liana says a baking tin works as well as cases.
Cornflake cakes or rice krispie cakes?
They’re cousins. My rice krispie cakes use less chocolate per cake and set chewier. Cornflake cakes are crunchier and look more like a proper bake, which is why they turn up at every school fair. If you have half a box of each cereal, make one tray of each and let the kids judge. If you want something baked in the oven next time, fairy cakes are the next step up.
The money bit
I’m not going to quote a cost here, because I couldn’t load a supermarket price on the day I wrote this. What I can say is that everything except the chocolate is probably already in your cupboard. Own-brand cornflakes and own-brand cooking chocolate both work. Very cheap “chocolate flavour” bars may not melt as smoothly.
Leftover cornflakes go in the breakfast bowl, and the end of a cereal box is the best possible use for this recipe.
FAQ
Do you need golden syrup for cornflake cakes?
No. Liana’s Kitchen lists it as optional. It makes the chocolate softer and shinier, so the cakes are easier for small children to bite. Without it they set harder.
How long do cornflake cakes take to set?
About 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge, according to Liana’s Kitchen. Hint of Helen says 10 minutes in the fridge or 30 minutes at room temperature for her richer version.
How long do cornflake cakes last?
Up to 5 days in an airtight container, according to Liana’s Kitchen. Keep them somewhere cool or they go soft.
Can toddlers help make cornflake cakes?
Yes. From about two or three they can line up cases, break chocolate and decorate. Keep the melting and the hot bowl for a grown-up.
