Milk tart, also known as "melktert" is a traditional South African dessert made with a few simple ingredients and is easy enough that anyone can make it at home.
It has a rich, buttery, sweet pastry crust filled with silky smooth vanilla custard, and an iconic sprinkling of cinnamon on top, which gives it its unique flavor-almost the same as the famous Portuguese custard tarts, Pastéis de nata, but also very different.
Probably all South Africans love milk tart and have it become a staple in the local cuisine along with other classics like malva pudding, biltong(dried meat), bobotie, and frikkadels, to name a few.
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Watch how to make it
Ingredients
For the pastry crust
- Flour - All-purpose flour or cake flour works best for a sweet pastry crust.
- Butter - Fridge cold butter, but not frozen.
- Sugar - Use powdered or confectioners' sugar for the best result.
- Egg - Large egg or 50 grams of pasteurized whole egg.
- Baking soda - Baking soda is optional, but it makes the crust light and perfect for the custard.
For the custard filling
- Milk - Whole milk for a classic milk tart. Below are substitutions for vegan and dairy-free versions.
- Vanilla - Traditionally vanilla essence, but if you have fresh vanilla or vanilla paste, use that.
- Cornstarch - Not to be confused with corn flour. Cornstarch is the pure-extracted starch derived from corn. In South Africa, it's sold under the Maizena brand and in the UK, it will be called Cornflour. In the US and elsewhere, look specifically for cornstarch.
- Sugar - Regular granulated white sugar.
- Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon sprinkled on top makes it unique from other custard tarts. It's optional but highly recommended for the classic flavor.
- Eggs - Large eggs or use pasteurized carton eggs.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making the crust
- Preheat your oven to 170 °C (338 °F). Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder with a whisk to make sure they are evenly distributed. Cube the butter and rub it into the mix. Work quickly to avoid the butter from melting.
- Step 2: The mix should look like a fine sandy texture. Whisk the egg and add it to the mix.
- Bring the mix together without overworking it, which could result in a tough pastry once cooked.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then place it into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
- Once chilled, flour your workbench and roll out the pastry to about three credit card thickness.
- Butter your tart mold of choice and line it with the pastry. Tidy it up and make sure there are no holes or overly uneven parts. Place the pastry dough into the freezer or fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
- Place a piece of parchment onto the pastry and fill it halfway with pastry weights, rice, or beans. Bake for 12 minutes with the weights, then remove and bake 12 more minutes without them until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
- Carefully remove the pastry shell from the mold and cool it down on a wire rack. You could also cool it down in the mold if you plan to serve it from there instead of transferring to a plate.
Hint: Make sure you work quickly to avoid the butter from melting and cool down your pastry before baking. Baking a warm pastry with butter melting out will result in a tough, oily pastry.
If your pastry puffs up after removing the weights, press it down carefully with a spoon or spatula. This is common when using pie dishes, and nothing to worry about.
Making the custard and filling the tart
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Cook slowly over medium-low heat and constantly whisk until it just starts to bubble and thicken.
- Pour the custard into your tart case while hot. Fill it to the brim and even out any creases that may form at the top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to fully set the custard. When ready, slice and serve as is.
Substitutions
- Gluten-free - Make a gluten-free milk tart by using ground almonds or gluten-free flour in the pastry crust instead of regular flour.
- Dairy-free and lactose-free - Replace the milk with coconut milk or any other dairy-free milk, and to make it lactose-free, use lactose-free milk.
Variations
- Liquor - Add a shot of Amarula Cream or Baileys to the custard.
- Cocoa/chocolate custard - Replace one heaped tablespoon of the flour in the pastry crust with cocoa powder, and add a heaped tablespoon of cocoa powder to the custard ingredients before you cook it. You could also sprinkle it with cocoa powder instead of cinnamon. Note, though, you will lose the authentic milk tart flavor if you add cocoa.
Alternative crusts
Puff pastry
In South Africa, you will often find milk tart sold at bakeries or bakery counters that use puff pastry instead of Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough).
If you decide on this version, you must blind bake the puff pastry as described in the recipe using sweet pastry. You will need extra pie weight or rice to properly weigh it down and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
No-bake crust
Another popular version is using a biscuit and butter crust instead of baking a tart case. Precisely the same as you would use for cheesecake. For this, you can use classic Tennis biscuits or Biscoff biscuits.
Crush up the biscuits and mix with melted butter until you have a texture similar to wet sand. Press it into your baking form or pie dish of choice before chilling in the fridge to set. Once set, pour in the hot custard and then return to the refrigerator to set.
Equipment
I used a 24 cm (9.45 inch) in diameter by 3 cm(1.18 inch) tall round ceramic baking dish, but a springform cake tin will also work. If you want to make individual milk tarts, a muffin tin works well.
To roll out the pastry, you need a rolling pin and, optionally, pie weights to blind bake the crust.
When baking, it's best to use metric measurements and weigh everything using culinary scales.
Storage
Store in the fridge in an airtight container or wrap with cling wrap. Consume within 4 days.
Not suitable for freezing.
Tips for success
- Keep your pastry cold at all times until baking it to ensure the best texture.
- Slowly heat and continuously whisk the custard to avoid lumps and setting issues.
- Let the tart cool down completely in the fridge before attempting to slice it.
FAQ
Yes. This is a great way to save time. Bake the crust up to 4 days before you need it, and store it airtight at room temperature.
This is great for convenience, but make sure to use a good-quality version that contains real butter for the best flavor.
You didn't cook out the custard mix enough. Slowly cook on medium-low heat and continue whisking it until it starts to bubble and thicken.
More South African recipes
Related recipes
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Recipe
South African Milk Tart
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (¾ cups) powdered sugar
- 8 grams (2 teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 grams (⅓ teaspoon) salt
- 125 grams (½ cups) butter
- 1 (1) egg
Custard filling
- 1 liter (4 cups) whole milk
- 150 grams (¾ cups) granulated sugar
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 2 (2 ) large eggs
- 10 grams (2 ½ teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1.5 grams (¼ teaspoon) salt
- 50 grams (6 tablespoon) cornstarch
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) water or milk - for slurry
- ground cinnamon - to garnish
Instructions
Abbreviated steps
- Make your pie crust of choice. Cook the custard and pour into your prepared pie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate to set. Slice and serve.
Pastry
- Preheat your oven to 170 °C (338 °F).
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder with a whisk to make sure they are evenly distributed. Cube the butter and rub it into the mix. Work quickly to avoid the butter from melting. The mix should look like a fine sandy texture.250 grams all-purpose flour, 100 grams powdered sugar, 8 grams baking powder, 2 grams salt, 125 grams butter
- Whisk the egg and add it to the mix. Bring it together into a dough, then wrap it in plastic wrap or parchment, before chilling for 15 minutes in the fridge.1 egg
- Flour your workbench and roll out the pastry to about three credit cards thick (3 mm). Butter your baking dish and line the case, trimming any excess pastry. Move it to the fridge to chill before baking.
- Weigh down the pastry with pastry weights or parchment filled with rice. Blind bake for 12 minutes with the weights, then remove and bake for another 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Chill the pastry on a wire rack, or leave it in the baking form if you plan on serving it in its baking form.
Custard and filling tart
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and whisk to combine.1 liter whole milk, 150 grams granulated sugar, 30 grams unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 10 grams vanilla extract, 1.5 grams salt, 50 grams cornstarch, 75 grams water or milk
- Cook slowly over medium-low heat and constantly whisk until it just starts to bubble and thicken.
- Pour the custard into your tart case while hot. Fill it to the brim and even out any creases that may form at the top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to fully set the custard. When ready, slice and serve as is.ground cinnamon
Video
Notes
- Pie form and alternatives - I used a 24 cm (9.45 inch) in diameter by 3 cm(1.18 inch) tall round ceramic baking dish, but a springform cake tin will also work. If you want to make individual milk tarts, a muffin tin works well.
- Puff pastry - In South Africa, you will often find milk tart sold at bakeries or bakery counters that use puff pastry instead of Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough). If you decide on this version, you must blind bake the puff pastry as described in the recipe using sweet pastry. You will need extra pie weight or rice to properly weigh it down and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes.
- No-bake crust - Another popular version is using a biscuit and butter crust instead of baking a tart case. For this, you can use classic Tennis biscuits or Biscoff biscuits. Crush up the biscuits and mix with melted butter until you have a texture similar to wet sand. Press it into your baking form or pie dish of choice before chilling in the fridge to set. Once set, pour in the hot custard and then return to the refrigerator to set.
- Cinnamon - If you love cinnamon, use a cinnamon stick to infuse the milk before cooking the custard. If you don't fancy cinnamon that much, skip it and sprinkle with cocoa powder or a fresh grating of nutmeg. Note that cinnamon is what gives it its unique South African flavor.
- Storage instructions - Store in the fridge in an airtight container or wrap with cling wrap. Consume within 4 days. Not suitable for freezing.
-
- Keep your pastry cold at all times until baking it to ensure the best texture.
-
- Slowly heat and continuously whisk the custard to avoid lumps and setting issues.
-
- Let the tart cool down completely in the fridge before attempting to slice it.
- To save time, bake the crust up to four days ahead of time and keep sealed airtight at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Gavin says
Came out perfect. Easy to make and my family loved it! The crust is a revelation. Doesn’t get soggy and the texture is much better than puff pastry, which becomes chewy I find. Thanks for the best Melktert ever.