BACKGROUND In the present work, a simple and rapid method was proposed for the preconcentration of cadmium using ultrasound‐assisted temperature‐controlled ionic liquid microextraction (TC‐IL‐LPME). The dispersion of the ionic liquid (1‐Hmim[PF6]) in the aqueous phase was performed by heating it in an ultrasonic bath, followed by cooling in an ice bath. After centrifugation, the enriched phase was dissolved in 45% (w/w) nitric acid solution to reduce viscosity, and the cadmium content was measured employing electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET‐AAS). The 2‐(5‐bromo‐2‐pyridylazo)‐5‐diethylaminophenol reagent (Br‐PADAP) was used as a complexing agent. RESULTS Under optimized conditions, the method had a detection limit of 2.0 ng L−1 and an enrichment factor of 24. The accuracy of the method was evaluated through the analysis of the certified reference material of brown bread (BCR‐191). The method was applied to the determination of cadmium in samples of bread and biscuit. The limit of detection of the solid samples was 0.10 μg kg−1. The recovery of cadmium in the samples varied between 93% and 107%. CONCLUSION The proposed method is presented as a simple, cheap, ecological and a sensitive alternative for the determination of cadmium in bread and biscuit samples. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry