Kate Keogh and her mother, a former school dinner lady, have captivated millions on TikTok by sharing beloved, nostalgic school dinner recipes. Their viral videos tap into a widespread longing for classic childhood treats, transforming simple bakes into online sensations and offering viewers a delightful trip down memory lane.

One particularly popular video showcased Kate's mum's five-ingredient recipe for a classic school sponge cake, often served with pink custard and topped with sprinkles. Kate, whose mum worked as a school kitchen assistant, shared that she has "insider recipes" from her mum's time, despite her mum recalling that in her days, puddings were often limited to "rice pudding and tapioca." The sight of the delicious-looking sponge cake paired with pink custard instantly resonated with viewers, with Kate herself remarking, "This looks just like the one we had at school. It's bringing back so many memories." This video, posted under the username @kate_keo, garnered over 425,000 views, as users eagerly shared their love for the staple treat, with comments such as, "My husband will love this! He loves school cake!" and "I love pink custard."

For those eager to recreate this timeless classic, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the sponge: 280g unsalted butter, 280g golden caster sugar, 280g self-raising flour, 5 eggs, 2 tsp Madagascan vanilla extract.

For the icing: 500g icing sugar + 5-6 tsp water.

For pink custard: One tub of custard, pink food colouring.

Method: Place the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and mix until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla essence. Sieve in the self-raising flour and mix all ingredients together. Place the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden. For the icing, combine icing sugar and water in a bowl until it makes a liquid consistency. Turn over the cake and ice the flat side, before adding the sprinkles. Add a splash of food colouring to the custard, heat it up in the microwave, and then serve.

Building on their success, Kate and her mum later shared another nostalgic gem: the "crackolet," or as many know it, cornflake tart. Kate explained that while it was called a crackolet at her school, its crunchy, gooey appeal was universal. Holding up the easy-to-make creation, she exclaimed, "Does that just remind you of school or what?" This recipe proved even more popular, racking up a staggering 1.8 million views and unlocking core childhood memories for countless TikTok users. Comments flooded in, with one person proclaiming, "Omg I used to love these at school!" and another recalling, "My mom was a dinner lady and made this! She called it Cracknel."

The simple recipe for this beloved cornflake treat consists of:

Ingredients: 60g butter, 4 tbsps golden syrup, 1 tbsps cocoa powder, Cornflakes.

Method: Place the butter in a pan along with the golden syrup, and melt both down on the hob. Remove the pan from the hob, add the cocoa powder, and mix well. Pour a large portion of cornflakes into a mixing bowl, then pour the chocolate mixture on to the cornflakes and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture into cake cases and leave for one hour to set.

Through these viral videos, Kate Keogh and her mother have successfully transformed classic school dinner desserts into a shared online experience, inviting a