My favorite South African dessert? While the many options make this a difficult decision, I have to say that this Classic Milktart Recipe is my number one. This melktert is made with a homemade pastry crust and a delicious condensed milk cinnamon custard.
If you love trying Traditional South African Desserts, you can't miss this Classic Malva Pudding with butter sauce or these Cinnamon Pannekoek.
Why This Classic Milktart Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Classic Milktart Recipe
- Ready in: 2hrs 5 minutes (plus chilling and cooling time)
- Serves: 12 slices
- Main ingredients: Condensed milk, milk, cinnamon, eggs, flour, sugar, and butter.
- Perfect for: An afternoon treat, a dessert to bring along to a braai, or an unconventional birthday cake.
- Why I love it: The crisp pastry pairs well with the creamy custard filling. This milktart also has the perfect texture; not too soft that you can't cut a slice, and not too firm either.
- Calories: 423kcal
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I've seen many variations of this sweet pie, but the commonality between all these bakes is the creamy custard and the cinnamon flavor. The traditional milktart, or melktert in Afrikaans, apparently dates back to the 1600s. These days, it's found almost everywhere in South Africa, from fine dining restaurants to tiny bakeries in towns I can hardly pronounce.
If you love baking recipes with condensed milk, don't miss these Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles or this Lemon Meringue Pie with a Biscuit Base.
Key Ingredients
- Cinnamon - This adds the key flavor to this milktart recipe with condensed milk. You will need a cinnamon quill and ground cinnamon for dusting.
- Condensed milk - Use full-fat condensed milk
- Milk - Use full-fat milk to make this easy South African dessert.
- Cake flour - Use cake flour or all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Variations
With regard to the custard, I've seen recipes add almond extract to the custard. I have also seen recipes call for grating nutmeg over the top of the tart. I prefer using just cinnamon, but the choice is yours.
How to Make a Classic South African Milktart
Homemade Pastry Shell
- Step 1: Add the butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is well combined and homogeneous.
- Step 2: First, add the whole egg to the creamed mixture while the food processor is running, then pulse until combined. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse again.
- Step 3: Sift together the flour and salt, and add this flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture all at once. Pulse until a dough forms; do not overmix.
- Step 4: Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Step 5: Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and brush a loose-bottom tart tin, 24cm (9-inch) diameter and 5cm (2-inch) deep, with melted butter. Once chilled, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5mm. Line the prepared tart tin with the pastry dough. Use a fork to dot holes into the surface of the pastry,
- Step 6: Place a sheet of baking paper over the dough and fill this with baking beans or rice. Blind-bake the tart shell in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking weights and bake the pastry crust for a further 10 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Milktart Filling
- Step 1: Add the condensed milk, milk, and cinnamon stick to a medium pan set over medium heat. Heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Step 2: Meanwhile, add the egg yolks and the cornflour to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until combined.
- Step 3: In a steady stream, add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture while whisking; do this slowly to temper the eggs. Continue until all of the milk has been added.
- Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a clean pot set over medium heat. Whisk continuously until the custard thickens. Once thick, remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Step 5: Pour the custard into the baked tart shell and place the tart into a preheated oven set at 150°C, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with cinnamon.
- Step 6: Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, then dust it with cinnamon, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Milktart FAQs
If you are pressed for time, you can skip making the homemade pastry shell and use tennis biscuits or marie biscuits and melted butter to make the base. See this Biscuit Base Lemon Meringue Pie for help.
Yes, there are many recipe variations for milktart recipes, some that don't include condensed milk. But I remember sitting in the office one day and asking my Afrikaans colleagues, how does your mom or ouma make milktart? Every single one of them said, with condensed milk. So that was it, I built this recipe around condensed milk.
Make sure you have measured the ingredients accurately and followed the recipe. Also, ensure that you allow enough time for the milktart to set after baking; do not slice the tart until it has come to room temperature.
More Easy South African Baking Recipes
Custard-based recipes have a special place in my heart, boxed, powder, or made from scratch, I have always loved custard. If you're looking for more custard recipes, don't skip this Strawberry and Custard Tart or this Apple Tea Cake served with Vanilla Bean Custard.
If you're unsure what to make with your leftover egg whites, try these Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringues or these Mini Mango Pavlovas.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at this Banana Bundt Cake with Sour Cream!
📖 Recipe
Classic Milktart Recipe
Equipment
- 1x loose bottom tart tin 4cm (9-inch) diameter and 5cm (2-inch) deep
- small sieve
Ingredients
Pastry
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 100 g castor sugar
- 1 egg extra-large
- 1 egg yolk extra-large
- 350 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for the tart tin
Milktart Custard
- 900 ml full cream milk
- 1 tin condensed milk 385g
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 3 egg yolks extra-large
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
Homemade Pastry
- Add the butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is well combined and homogeneous.
- First, add the whole egg to the creamed mixture with the food processor running, and pulse until combined. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse again.
- Sift together the flour and salt, and add this flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture all at once. Pulse until a dough forms; do not overmix.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and brush a loose-bottom tart tin, 24cm (9-inch) diameter and 5cm (2-inch) deep, with melted butter.
- Once chilled, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5mm. Line the prepared tart tin with the pastry dough.
- Place a sheet of baking paper over the dough and fill this with baking beans or rice. Blind-bake the tart shell in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking weights and bake the pastry crust for a further 10 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Milktart Custard
- Add the condensed milk, milk, and cinnamon stick to a medium pan set over medium heat. Heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, add the egg yolks and the cornflour to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until combined.
- In a steady stream, add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture while whisking; do this slowly to temper the eggs. Continue until all of the milk has been added. Transfer the mixture to a clean pot set over medium heat.
- Whisk continuously until the custard thickens, once thick remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Pour the custard into the baked tart shell and place the tart into a preheated oven set at 150°C bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with cinnamon.
- Allow the milktart to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you are struggling to roll out the pastry, this may be because it is too warm. Cover it in clingfilm and place it back into the fridge to firm up.
- To get the perfect layer of cinnamon dusting, use a small sieve.
- Wait for the melktert to cool compleltely before slicing it otherwise the custard will not have set.
Irena says
This pastry was incredible! Thanks for sharing Kitty
Rachel Woodall says
How many ml are in a tin of condensed milk? I’m in the United States and want to make sure I use the correct amount.
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Rachel! Thank you for your comment, each tin is 385g, I hope you love this recipe!