South African Milk Tart Recipe (2024)

ByAlida Ryder Published

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Milk tart with creamy filling and a homemade crust is a South African classic. Perfect as dessert or served for tea time.

South African Milk Tart Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

  • 1 What is milk tart?
  • 2 Ingredients Needed
  • 3 How to make milk tart
  • 4 Making ahead and freezing
  • 5 South African recipes
  • 6 FAQ
  • 7 Pie recipes
  • 8 South African Milk Tart
    • 8.1 Ingredients
      • 8.1.1 For the crust
      • 8.1.2 For the filling
    • 8.2 Instructions
    • 8.3 Nutrition

What is milk tart?

Milk tart (or Melk Tert) is a South African dessert pie. A sweet pastry crust is filled with a custard filling and topped with a generous dusting of cinnamon. Some milk tart recipes call for the custard to be baked but my favorite version is unbaked custard gently flavored with almond extract, vanilla and nutmeg set in a flaky pie crust. If you love custard-based pies, you will LOVE milk tart.

Ingredients Needed

  • Flour.
  • Icing/Powdered sugar.
  • Cold butter.I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be substituted.
  • Ice water.
  • Milk. It’s important to use whole milk or full fat milk in this recipe.
  • Cream. Heavy/Whipping cream.
  • Egg yolks.
  • Cornstarch.
  • Flour. Cake or all purpose flour.
  • Sugar.
  • Almond extract.
  • Vanilla extract.
  • Nutmeg.
  • Cinnamon.
South African Milk Tart Recipe (2)

How to make milk tart

  1. The crust:The crust recipe I use is one that doesn’t require any rolling out. You simply press the dough into the pie plate before freezing and then blind baking until golden brown and crisp. You can substitute with a cookie crust or use any pie dough recipe you like.
  2. The filling:As with all custards, milk tart filling starts with milk (use whole/full fat milk), cream and flavorings being heated together. To thicken and set the filling, I like using a combination of egg yolks, cornstarch and flour. Whisk the flours and egg yolks with the sugar then ladle in some of the hot milk mixture and whisk to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook whilst whisking until the custard is thick, smooth and cooked through. I like to pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve to make sure there are no lumps or bits of coagulated egg. Beat room temperature butter into the custard (this adds extra silky richness to the finished tart) and pour the custard into the baked crust.
  3. Setting:Smooth the top of the tart out by spraying a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and pressing it onto the surface of the custard. This allows you to smooth the top but also prevents a skin from forming. Place the tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but overnight is even better.
  4. Serving:Once you are ready to serve, dust the top of the tart with a generous amount of cinnamon then slice and serve.

Making ahead and freezing

  1. Make ahead:Milk tart can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Leftover will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  2. Freezing:Freezing is not recommended as the custard might change texture once thawed.
South African Milk Tart Recipe (3)

South African recipes

  1. Malva pudding with frozen custard
  2. Pampoen koekies (pumpkin fritters)
  3. Rooibos tea peach punch
  4. Cheese and corn samoosas

FAQ

Why does my tart have a soggy bottom?

If you don’t blind-bake the crust (which is necessary for this recipe anyway as the filling doesn’t get baked), the filling will prevent it from crisping up.

Pie recipes

  1. Chocolate cream pie
  2. Cinnamon brown sugar pecan pie
  3. Banana cream pie
  4. Lemon Meringue Pie

South African Milk Tart Recipe (5)

South African Milk Tart

Milk tart with creamy filling and a homemade crust is a South African classic. Perfect as dessert or served for tea time.

4.63 from 72 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Keyword: Milk tart, Milk tart recipe, South African milk tart

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 5 hours hours

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the crust

  • Follow the directions for my easy no-roll crust

For the filling

  • 2 cups milk
  • ½ cup heavy / whipping cream
  • 5 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp salted butter (alternatively use unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt)
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Make the pastry according to recipe instructions then blind bake until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

  • To make the filling, heat the milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat.

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, flours and salt.

  • 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.

  • Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve. Beat in the butter.

  • Pour the custard into the prepared crust. Spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray then press onto the surface of the custard to avoid a skin from forming.

  • Place the milk tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.

  • Before serving, dust the cinnamon over the milk tart. Slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg

South African Milk Tart Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is South African milk tart made of? ›

Melktert (/ˈmɛlktɛrt/, Afrikaans for milk tart) is a South African dessert originally created by the Dutch settlers in the "Cape" (South Africa) consisting of a sweet pastry crust containing a custard filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs.

What is the difference between a milk tart and a flan? ›

Whether it be a French Flan Patissier, a Portuguese Pasteis de Nata or an Italian Torte della Nonna, there are definite similarities the world over. The major difference in comparison of Milk Tart to these, is the absence of lots of eggs in the custard.

What is an interesting fact about milk tarts? ›

Melktert stems from the Dutch settlers in the Cape in the 1600s. The origin of Mattentaart is credited to a recipe listed in Thomas van der Noot's book, “Een notabel boexcken van co*keryen” (A Notable Book of Cookery) and it's possible that melktert developed from the same recipe.

What is a good substitute for tennis biscuits? ›

Tennis biscuits can be difficult to find in Australia. Arnotts Nice biscuits make a great substitution. Use any tin of condensed caramel - such as Nestle Top N Fill Caramel, Carnation Caramel, or thick dulce de leche. Use any rectangular or square baking tin - it is fine for there to be small gaps between the biscuits.

Why does my milk tart crack? ›

Allow the milk tart to cool at room temperature. If you put it in the fridge straight away, you will probably end up with a huge crack down the centre as a result of cooling too quickly. Be sure to use the best quality ingredients.

Where does milk tart originate from? ›

History of the milk tart

It originated in the Dutch Cape Colony in the 1700s, amongst the Afrikaner population. It is believed to have developed from the Dutch 'Mattentaart', which was a cheesecake-like dessert. The Afrikaans name for this pudding is 'melktert', which translates directly to its English name, milk tart.

Is a Portuguese tart the same as a custard tart? ›

Instead of a short, crumbly pastry, the pastel de nata has a crisp, slightly salty, layered crust; and, rather than the firm, egg-rich fillings of the classic British or French custard tart, the filling is almost molten, and spiced with cinnamon and lemon zest, as opposed to our peppery nutmeg or sweet vanilla.

Is milk tart high in calories? ›

There are 291 calories in 1 serving (50 g) of SPAR Milk Tart.

Why does my milk taste tart? ›

The short answer is that sour milk is milk with a tart taste, which the milk gets either because it is beginning to spoil or because it was soured intentionally through fermentation or acidification.

How much sugar is in milk tart? ›

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
11 more rows
Jul 14, 2022

What is the alcohol content of melktert liqueur? ›

The distillation process, which occurs after fermenting, separates the water from the alcohol. This process increases the alcohol content of liquor to about 20% alcohol by volume (ABV). Yes, that's what that means – if you've ever spotted it on the bottle of your favourite cream liqueur alcohol.

What does milk liqueur taste like? ›

The liqueur has a smooth and syrupy mouthfeel and a rich, creamy flavor. It's sweet, but with a more complex flavor than simple sugar: malty and slightly caramelized.

What is shooter co*cktails? ›

A shooter, or shot, is a small serving of spirits or a mixed drink (usually about one US fluid ounce or 30 millilitres), typically consumed quickly, often in a single gulp. It is common to serve a shooter as a side to a larger drink.

What is Amasi milk made of? ›

Amasi is a fermented milk product which is made from full cream milk. The bacterial cultures present in the homemade fermented amasi are inherited from the unpasteurized milk left in the calabash or clay pots which was used to store the milk.

Is Inkomazi sour milk? ›

Inkomazi is a traditional South African maas, sour milk, that you find next to normal milk on the shelves of all South African food stores.

What is Amasi milk ingredients? ›

Amasi is traditionally prepared by storing unpasteurised cow's milk in a calabash container (Xhosa: iselwa, Zulu: igula) or hide sack to allow it to ferment. A calabash is smoked, then milk from the cow is put in a skin bag or bucket, where it ferments for 1 - 5 days, and acquires a sharp acidic taste.

What is African sour milk? ›

Sour milk is a drink that is popular in Southern Africa and is fermented milk that tastes like a mix between cottage cheese and plain yogurt. Common names for this drink are Inkomazi,Maas,Amasi,Madila.

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