Classic Milktart Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This Classic Milktart Recipe is a South African favourite. It is made with condensed milk and a homemade shortcrust pastry.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 5

Chilling Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Servings: slices

Calories: 423kcal

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.

Add the condensed milk, milk, and cinnamon stick to a medium pot 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!

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.
For an extra-silky custard, pour the custard mixture through a sieve and into a saucepan. This way, you will catch any hardened egg pieces you may have created during the tempering process.
To get the perfect layer of cinnamon dusting, use a small sieve.
Wait for the melktert to cool completely before slicing it; otherwise, the custard may not have set.