South African Desserts

If there is one thing we South Africans know how to do, it's end a meal properly! Here is my list of favorite South African Desserts, and I hope you try them all. 

With Heritage Day around the corner, this dessert round-up couldn't come at a more perfect time! So, whether you're an expat looking for a taste of home or a local wondering how to end off your next braai, this post celebrating South African dessert recipes is for you.

Malva Pudding 

South African Malva Pudding has to be top of this list; you can't say you've tried all that South African food has to offer without giving this baked sweet pudding a go. 

Traditional malvas use the usual suspects when it comes to ingredients, but with the addition of apricot jam and bicarbonate of soda. These give this dessert its dark color and caramelized flavor. 

Once baked, pour a sweet cream sauce made from butter, sugar, and cream slowly over the malva cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. This sauce is the secret to a moist malva that I promise you won't be able to get enough of!

My great-aunt, who is 92, gave me this malva pudding recipe! Serve this dessert with custard (has to be Ulta-mel) or with vanilla ice cream and tell me how hard it is not to finish the entire dish!

Milktart 

Milktart, more commonly known around these parts as melktert, is an iconic South African dessert. It is a delicious tart made with a pastry base filled with a set milk-based custard and dusted with ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

When it comes to the pastry of this custard tart, I have seen lots of variations! The recipe I share for this custard pie uses a shortcrust pastry rolled very thin and blind-baked before adding the custard. This helps ensure a delicious, crisp crust, which to me is the best part of any tart. If you love Easy Tart Recipes, don't skip this delicious Apple Crumble Tart.

I know it may sound difficult, but it's best to wait for this dessert to set properly before serving it. Let the custard cool and the tart set for a few hours for the best results. This is my favorite tart recipe on the blog; nothing beats a well-made melktart!

Caramel and Peppermint Crisp Trifle 

The combination of caramel and peppermint crisp is beloved on this side of the world, and you'll see it used in all kinds of ways. This Caramel and Peppermint Crisp Trifle is a take on the classic peppermint and caramel tart but in trifle form. 

I love making this during the Christmas season as it's an easy dessert to make ahead of time that feeds a lot of people! This trifle has a bottom layer of red jelly, then layers of Tennis biscuits (another South African favorite), caramel dulce de leche, sweet whipped cream, and crushed peppermint crisp. 

Lemon Meringue Tarts 

I know you've probably tried lemon meringue pie before, but these Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts use a lemon filling made with condensed milk, and they are just too good not to test out. 

Most lemon meringue tarts are filled with a lemon curd made from lemon juice, eggs, and sugar. But this version is much easier to get right, and the condensed milk gives this tart a rich custard-like center. 

The sweet pastry crust in this recipe is something special, and I have a feeling you'll keep this recipe for all of your tarts going forward!

Rolling pastry can be daunting, but if things get tough, just pop the pastry back into the fridge. Working with chilled pastry is much easier!

The lemon center is made with condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolks. Then add the filling to the blind-baked mini pastry shells, and bake the tarts again. When blind baking the tart shells, be sure not to overbake them, as they will brown again during the second bake. 

The meringue topping of these tarts is a Swiss meringue that's been lightly torched using a kitchen blow torch. I prefer this method over just whipping egg whites and sugar together and browning this in the oven because it has a less eggy flavor!

For more mini tart recipes, try these Mini Banoffee Tarts and these Mini Apple Tarts.

Cinnamon Pancakes 

Ok, I know most people would call these guys crepes, but in SA, these are pancakes or pannekoek! Dust these Cinnamon Pancakes with cinnamon sugar and drizzle with fresh lemon juice. 

This is an easy recipe to make for breakfast or when you need a sweet afternoon treat. I don't think I've had a holiday without these cinnamon pancakes every few days. Roll these pancakes up, serve them in a mound, and watch them disappear!

If you love pancakes, try these Breakfast Pancakes or these Milktart Pancakes.

Peppermint Crisp Tart 

This Peppermint Crisp Tart is the perfect recipe to add to your list of go-to cold desserts. It's like an ice cream cake but with all the flavors of a peppermint crisp tart. 

This tart uses a buttery biscuit shell made from crushed Tennis biscuits. The filling is made from whipped cream, dulce de leche caramel, and crushed peppermint crisp chocolate bars.  I topped the tart with extra fresh cream and bananas. Keep this dessert frozen until serving, and slice it into generous chunks. 

Milktart Malva Pudding

This Milktart Malva Pudding recipe brings together two classic South African desserts: malva and melktert. This recipe makes a layer of moist cream-soaked malva topped with a set layer of milktart custard. Serve the dessert cold and dusted generously with cinnamon.

More Delicious & Easy Dessert Recipes

These recipes use basic ingredients, but depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find the exact ingredients listed. The good news is that each blog post offers alternatives. If you are still struggling, email me, and I can try to help!

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 Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting!

BANANA BREAD & CREAM CHEESE FROSTING