*This blog post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
A South African milk tart is similar to a custard pie but with a sweet pastry crust and a custard that is lighter and of course milkier. I adore the name/sound of it – a Milk Tart; in Afrikaans it’s called a Melktert. It’s two things that I enjoy dearly – dairy and pastry; how could you go wrong?!
My love for South Africa and its food are intertwined. Tradition and culture is about storytelling shared from one generation to the next – stories that I love to hear and to learn. The milk tart is a popular dessert that’s been passed down for generations.
The South African milk tart is a dessert that can vary depending on where you grew up and who baked it for you. This will dictate what you like in a milk tart (like the saying goes, “my grandma made it best”). There is the no-bake version and the baked version, a sweeter version and little tweaks from grandmas that you’ll only know if you were in the kitchen with them (I hear nutmeg is one of them). One thing that is always the same; the love for this dessert and of course the milky custard that feels like you’re eating a cloud of light fluffy air.
Equipment I used for this Recipe
Ingredients
Each ingredient plays a vital purpose but it’s important to use full-fat milk to get a silky custard-like (pudding) filling. The flour and cornflour provide structure and thickness, while the vanilla adds depth to the tart. Together, they create a dessert rich in history and flavour.
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Full milk (full-fat, or whole milk)
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Cornflour
- Baking powder
- Pure vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Substitution
Cornstarch can be used interchangeably for cornflour. So don’t stress if you can’t find cornflour, use a 1:1 ratio.
Tips For The Perfect South African Milk Tart
- Pie weights: If you don’t have pie weight to blind bake your pie pastry you can also use uncooked rice, beans and even granulated sugar. The weight is important as it helps to weigh down the pastry and prevents it from rising or forming air bubbles during baking.
- Prevent overcooking the eggs: When making the custard on the stovetop, it’s crucial to be patient and take your time. The key is to avoid cooking the eggs too quickly or at too high of a temperature. This can result in cooking/scrambling and ruining the custard. Keep the heat low to medium and stir continuously to distribute the heat evenly and prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Use a Large Mixing Bowl: Ensure you use the largest mixing bowl available for your mixer or mixing by hand. This provides ample space to incorporate the hot milk gradually, minimizing the risk of spilling and ensuring thorough mixing without splattering.
- Allow sufficient time for setting: It’s crucial to resist the temptation to cut into the tart too soon. Allow the milk tart to cool in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours before serving. This extended chilling time allows the custard to set properly, resulting in a creamy texture and well-defined layers.
My Love for South Africa
My love for South Africa runs deep and I’ve been lucky enough to work and live in Cape Town. The people, the food, the sun, the mountains and the ocean fill my heart and inspire me. One of my favourite recipes from Cape Town is The “Bunny Chow” Banana Bread recipe that comes from a Cafe I used to visit often. You can also read up on a few of my favourite wineries in SA too!
How To Make a Milk Tart
Step One: Make your pastry in a large bowl of a stand mixer. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until dough comes together. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough with a rolling pin. Place dough into a pie dish and using your fingers gently press into place. Using a fork prick the dough all over the bottom. Trim edges and shape as desired.
Step Two: Use parchment paper to cover the base of the pastry and place pie weights over the paper to weigh the pastry down. Place in the middle of the oven and blind bake for 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the paper and beans/rice and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes until light brown. Set aside.
Step Three: In a large pot bring milk to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside. Using a mixer beat eggs and sugar together. Add flour, cornflour and salt. Mix well. While the mixer is running on low carefully pour the boiled hot milk into the mixture – making sure to slowly pour small amounts at a time. Pour the milk mixture back into the pot, return it to the stove and stir for 10-12 minutes on medium heat until the mixture thickens. Add butter and vanilla and mix. Pour into your pastry shell.
Step Four: Allow the tart to cool in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with cinnamon when ready to serve.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It’s become my new favourite dessert to bake and share with friends. Happy Baking Friends!
PrintSouth African Milk Tart
A traditional South African dessert made with sweet pastry and a milky custard. Recipe makes one large deep dish pie or 2 smaller tarts ( approx. 8-9″ each).
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 1 large pie or 2 smaller tarts 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1/2 cup (125g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
Filling
- 4 1/2 cups full milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons cornflour
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- Cinnamon for dusting on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ËšF and set out a standard-size pie plate.
- Make your pastry. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to butter mixture and mix until dough comes together.
- On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out approx. 2 inches larger than your pie plate.
- Gently place the dough into the pie dish and using your fingers gently press into place. Using a fork prick the dough all over the bottom. Trim edges and shape as desired.
- Use parchment paper to cover the base of the pastry and place pie weights (or dry beans/rice) over the parchment paper to weigh the pastry down.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the paper and the weights and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes until light brown. Set aside.
- Make your filling: In a large pot bring milk to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, using a stand mixer beat eggs and sugar together. Add flour, cornflour and salt. Mix well. While the mixer is running on low carefully pour the boiled milk into the mixture – making sure to slowly pour small amounts at a time (approx. 1/4 cup until halfway then add the rest) stir well. You don’t want to cook your eggs (Note: Make sure you are using the largest mixing bowl you have, so there is lots of room to pour the milk in. If you don’t have a large mixing bowl for your mixer, you can mix by hand using a whisk until smooth and there are no lumps).
- Pour the mixture back into the pot, return to the stove and stir for 10-12 minutes on medium heat until the mixture thickens. Add butter and vanilla and mix. Pour into your pastry shell.
- Allow the milk tart to cool in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours (you do not need to cook the tart any further).
- Sprinkle with cinnamon when ready to serve.
Notes
The milk tart will last in the fridge for 3-4 days before cutting and serving. You can make it well in advance. Just cover with plastic and once ready to serve dust with cinnamon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 12
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 30.2g
- Sodium: 225mg
- Fat: 12.2g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 51.8g
- Fiber: 1.1g
- Protein: 8.1g
- Cholesterol: 92mg
FAQ’s
A milk tart will last in the fridge for up to 4 days before cutting and serving. Just cover with plastic and once ready to serve dust with cinnamon.
Milk tart can curdle if the eggs are cooked too quickly or at too high of a temperature. To prevent curdling, make sure that you gradually add the hot milk to the egg mixture while stirring continuously. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
No, freezing custard-based desserts like a milk tart can cause the custard to become watery or grainy as it thaws, leading to a less desirable texture.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
I love the recipe I have a new friend from Sudáfrica and the milktart rocks 🥰🥰 thanks for the amazing ideas for bake !
I’m so, so happy to know you enjoyed this recipe Josefina. South Africa holds a special place in my heart and to share some of my favourite recipes with all you brings me much joy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Alie
I would like to try your milk tart recipe, I have tried others but I see yours calls for some all purpose flour to thicken the mixture, is there any reason why you use a combination of all purpose and cornflour? Also would this mixture fit into a 23 or 24cm round pie dish?
Thanks so much
Hi Debbie, you’ll love this Milk Tart it’s one of my faves! Yes, I use a mix of all-purpose flour and cornflour, simply because it’s what the South Africans do. Thanks for pointing out the dish size, as I see I never mentioned a size in the directions but yes any standard pie dish will work. Let me know how you like the recipe and happy baking 🙂
Hi Alie, I have tried your milk tart recipe twice, wanting to make a bigger tart, and both times it has not set. I usually make one with only two cups(metric 250ml cup) of milk and I use 40g of cornflour and it sets well. The second time I tried I used 50g of cornflour and still it did not set. I used the 15ml and 5ml baking spoons levelled. Please could you advise whether you are measuring your flour/cornflour the same way, and if you could advise on how many grams of either flour/cornflour I should try. Thanks so much
Hi Debbie, ohh no! My concern would not be the amount of flour and cornflour as mush as the boiling time when the filling is to thicken. The amount of flour and cornflour will help the milk custard thicken but the bulk of thickening happens in step 7. You don’t want to end this step until the mixture thickens. You also need to make sure it has time to set in the refrigerator, overnight is best (I’m assuming you did this though). But to answer your question I use a level tablespoon to measure 2 1/2 tablespoons for both the flour and cornflour (which equals 19.5 g). Hope that helps Debbie.