These chocolate cornflakes cakes are a crispy, crunchy no bake dessert that is so quick and simple.
- Rich chocolate flavour.
- So crunchy from cornflakes.
- So quick and easy, even the kids can get involved.
- Perfect for parties, potlucks, fetes or even for gifting.
These crunchy cornflake no bake treats are known to the French as roses des sables which essentially translates to roses of the sand. They are named after the desert rose since they have such a similar look.
These are basically a chocolate version of these honey joys.
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Ingredients you’ll need
There are just a handful of ingredients for chocolate cornflake cakes.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Cornflakes: Any brand will technically work but the classic Kelloggs cornflakes are so perfectly crunchy for these and available pretty much worldwide. Make sure to use a fresh pack.
- Chocolate: You want a good quality dark chocolate here. I use a combination of 2 types so that I can get a 60% cocoa level which is perfect. Some brands of chocolate melt much easier than others – I find Lindt is my favourite as it gets nice and fluid making it easier to coat the cornflakes. I use their 70% Smooth blend, then cut it with 50% Cadbury old gold.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter.
- Golden syrup: golden syrup is an amber coloured treacle. It’s much lighter in flavour than treacle and more caramelly. It’s available in most parts of the world but if you’re having trouble finding it, you can swap it for rice malt syrup (brown rice syrup). Honey will also work but will add it’s unique flavour. You could also use dark corn syrup if you have it.
How to make chocolate cornflake cakes (step-by-step)
These crunchy chocolate cornflake clusters take next to no time to make – like 15 minutes and they’re just so easy.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Melt together the chocolate, butter and golden syrup.
- Stir in the salt.
- Toss the cornflakes in the melted chocolate syrup.
- Spoon evenly into paper cupcake cases.
- Chill until set – about 1 hour.
You can eat them cold, straight from the fridge but I love them when they’ve been at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and the chocolate softens a bit.
Tips and tricks
- Use fresh cornflakes: So that you get super crunchy roses des sables, make sure to use a fresh box of cornflakes, preferably not the open pack that’s been sitting it the pantry for a while.
- Don’t press them down: Don’t press them down into the cupcakes cases, this way they sit high and stay flaky and crackly. I just prefer them more flaky than compact but do what feels right for you here.
- Turn them into nests: At Easter time, turn your chocolate cornflake clusters into easter nests and fill with mini eggs.
FAQs
I find dark chocolate best for its intense chocolate flavour, however, if you’d like them a bit sweeter, feel free to cut the dark chocolate with an equal amount of milk chocolate.
You can swap the golden syrup for rice malt syrup (brown rice syrup) or even dark corn syrup if you have it. You can also use honey but it will impart some of it’s distinctive flavour. Or leave the syrup out altogether.
You can make chocolate cornflake cakes gluten free by simply using gluten free cornflakes.
Yes, you can. You can simply leave the syrup out. In fact, the French style roses des sables often have no syrup at all.
Storage
Store these chocolate cornflakes cakes in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Over time, the cornflakes will begin to soften so they’re best eaten fresh.
Don’t store them at room temperature or the chocolate will soften too much and they’ll fall apart. They should also not be frozen.
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Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups corn flakes (165g / 5.8oz)
- 55 g unsalted butter (¼ cup / ½ stick / 2 oz)
- 200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped (7oz) (notes 1)
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or rice malt syrup/honey) (8 teaspoons, see notes 2 & 3).
- pinch fine sea salt
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- muffin tray
- Cupcake liners
Instructions
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the butter, chocolate and syrup. Stir until melted and combined. Set aside for 2 minutes.
- Place the cornflakes in a large mixing bowl then pour the chocolate mixture over the top. Fold together gently until fully coated.
- Spoon into paper cases and chill until set – about 1 hour.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Chocolate: I use a combination of Lindt 70% Smooth Blend and Cadbury Old Gold 50% to get a 60% cocoa flavour). Lindt melts so beautifully. Some chocolates will not become as fluid when they’re melted and this means it’s a bit trickier to coat all the cornflakes. If you have a thicker chocolate that isn’t coating the cornflakes as well, you can melt a little more and add it to the mix.
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon, equal to 4 teaspoons worldwide. As they vary around the world, check your spoon volume before measuring.
- Golden syrup: Golden syrup is used a lot in Australia. It’s thickness is somewhere between maple syrup and honey and it has a caramel flavour. You can substitute honey or rice malt syrup/ brown rice syrup. Honey will give a subtle honey flavour while the others won’t be too distinctive.
More Information
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6 Comments on “Chocolate Cornflake Cakes (Roses Des Sables)”
Super easy and successful recipe!
So happy you love them, Meghri. Thanks so much for dropping back to leave a review 🙂
Not sure if Australian cornflakes are a lot more dense than uk ones but there was not even nearly enough chocolate mix to cover 165g of Kellogg’s cornflakes
Hi Kate. No, it’s not the cornflakes, it’s about the chocolate. I have a note about it below the recipe but some chocolates just don’t become as fluid when melted as others so with the thicker types, you may need to melt a little more to get a full coating. Also, keep in mind you do need to give it a really good mix to get them all coated.
I live in France and have never seen these treats! Guess what I’ll be making for my neighbors??
That’s so interesting. Can’t wait to hear what you think of them, Amy.