Puffed Wheat Cake

Last week I did Cheerio Chews. This week I’m doing Puffed Wheat Cake. I’m sensing a trend here. So I’m officially christening November as “Stuff Made with Cereal” month. Folks, you heard it here first.

For those of you not familiar with puffed wheat, there are two important facts you need to know: 1) it comes in a bag the size of a pillowcase, and 2) you can use it as packing material.

My mom used to make Puffed Wheat Cake (a.k.a. Puffed Wheat Squares) for my dad because it’s a delicacy mainly enjoyed by prairie cakers. (My dad was from Saskatchewan.) As a kid, my relationship with Puffed Wheat Cake was a conflicted one. On the one hand, it didn’t taste all that great (a bit like Styrofoam), but on the other hand, the Styrofoam was sweet. So you can imagine my sleepless nights.

If you make this, try to eat it right away. After a day or so, it gets all chewy and falls apart. Or you can do what I did − put the pieces in a bowl, add milk and enjoy some homemade Sugar Crisp.

Thanks to puffed wheat aficionados Jeanne, Alexis, Tanis and Mojogrrl for encouraging me on my return journey down puffed wheat lane. A big piece is being shipped to you, packed in − what else? − puffed wheat.

Mix in pan
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup syrup (See note)
Bring to boil. Add 8 cups puffed wheat. Pat down in greased pan.

Note: Corn syrup

UPDATE: Some people prefer Choclit Puffed Wheat Squares. Here's an alternate recipe.

Source: Handwritten recipe card