Kate Keogh, the daughter of a former school dinner lady, has captivated social media users by sharing simple recipes for beloved, nostalgic school dinner treats on TikTok. Her videos, featuring classic desserts from her mother's "insider recipes," have resonated deeply, bringing back cherished childhood memories for countless viewers and achieving significant viral success.

One such sensation is her mum's five-ingredient school sponge cake, a staple in dinner halls for decades. This delicious-looking, sprinkle-topped sponge, often paired with vibrant pink custard, instantly transports people back to their school days. Kate's video showcasing this recipe, posted under the username @kate_keo, quickly racked up over 425,000 views, with users flocking to the comments section to express their love for the classic and their eagerness to try making it at home. Her mum, a former school kitchen assistant, revealed that while her own school days offered simple puddings like rice pudding and tapioca, the sponge treat's recipe remained a firm memory.

For those craving this retro cake, here is the simple method shared by Kate's mum. 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, and sprinkles. For the pink custard: One tub of custard and pink food colouring. Method: First, place the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and mix until pale and fluffy. Next, 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 the 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. Finally, add a splash of pink food colouring to the custard, heat it up in the microwave, and then serve.

Building on the success of the sponge cake and a previously shared school chocolate cake recipe, Kate and her mum continued their TikTok journey with another much-loved school dinner dessert: the cornflake tart, known by some as "cracolete" or "cracknel." This crunchy, gooey treat, which was a highlight of school mealtimes for many, once again struck a chord with viewers. The video featuring this recipe, also posted on @kate_keo's account, became an even bigger hit, racking up a massive 1.8 million views. Comments poured in from users whose "core childhood memories" were unlocked by the sight of the tart, with many recalling their own experiences with the dessert at school.

Here’s the straightforward recipe for the nostalgic cornflake tart. Ingredients: 60g butter, 4 tbsps golden syrup, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, and a large portion of cornflakes (Kate did not specify a precise measurement). Method: Begin by placing 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. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the cornflakes and mix well. Finally, place the mixture into cake cases and leave for one hour to set.

Through their viral TikTok series, Kate Keogh and her mother have successfully tapped into a collective longing for the simplicity and comfort of school dinner classics, delighting a massive audience with accessible recipes that offer a sweet trip down memory lane.