There is nothing like a proper homemade South African milktart (or melktert in Afrikaans, and sometimes spelt as two words – milk tart or melk tert). Either way, it’s quick and easy for tea or dessert!
And it’s so South African it has its own National Day – 27th February!
This classic South African dessert consisting of a buttery sweet pastry crust, filled with a creamy custard made with milk, cinnamon sticks, flour, sugar and eggs, baked in a round pie tin and dusted with lots of cinnamon. So yum!
Milk Tart
Author: Fazila Olla-Logday
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: South African
Serves: 8
Ingredients
PIE CRUST
- 80Gr Butter - Not Margarine Please!
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Flour,Sifted
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
FILLING
- 1Litre Full Cream Milk
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 4 Eggs (Separated)
- ⅓ Cup Cake Flour
- ⅓ Cup Cornflour
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 60Gr Butter
TOPPING
- Fine Cinnamon
Instructions
PIE CRUST
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
- Blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor or with an electric beater until it all clumps together to form a dough. Press into a lightly greased 24 cm tart dish. (This dough does not need to be rolled out). Chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
FILLING
- Heat the milk together with the cinnamon sticks in a medium pot(do not boil).
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the egg yolks,sugar, flours and salt until creamy and light. The mixture will be quite thick.
- Once the milk is hot, whisk two ladles full of the milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
- Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook until thickened, whisking continuously. Cook the custard for 2-3 minutes until thick and smooth.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Whisk the egg whites in a clean glass bowl until soft peaks form and fold into the custard.
- Pour into the chilled pastry case and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake for +- 30-35 minutes.
You could also try our Coconut Milk Tart recipe.
