South Africa’s Beloved Baked Milk Tart

For those who know what a milk tart is knows that it does not really require an introduction or a description. It’s more of a mouth-watering sensation that occurs when you hear the words put together. Flavours of creamy and sweet custard with a notable crust and topped with sprinkles of cinnamon make for one sensational tart!

This phenomenal South African classic dessert dates back to the 1600’s and was originally brought over by the Dutch people who settled in our beautiful country. This milk tart recipe is assumed to have developed from the original mattentaart which was noted in the cook book by Thomas van der Noot in his cook book titled: Een Notabel Boexcken Van Cokeryen (A Notable Book of Cookery).

There are many variations of milk tart available online, but we feel that the traditional one still takes the cake or shall we say tart? If you don’t have an oven you can always opt for the no-bake milk tart recipe that you simply pop into the fridge to set. With this tart being so popular, many chefs and home cooks have tried to make the classic dessert their own by trying variations of ingredients, such as an intriguing baked milk tart cheese cake!

Ingredients

Crust

• 125 g Butter
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Oil
• Vanilla Essense

Filling

•  liter Milk
• 6 Eggs
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 105 gram Mezina
• 100 gram Flour
• ¾ tsp Almond Essense
• Salt

Instruction

Crust

1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg, oil and essence; beat well. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Press dough into a 25cm (10-inch) tart tin, dock with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 204–230°C (400–450°F). (Crust can be baked 1–2 days ahead and stored airtight.)

filling

1. Heat milk with butter. Mix flour and Maizena with a little warm milk to a smooth paste and stir into milk. Whisk egg yolks with sugar and add to mixture. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and gently fold in. Stir in almond essence.

Bake

1. Pour slightly cooled filling into crust and bake for 15–17 minutes, until just set and lightly golden.

Irene Muller

Golden Comfort: The Classic Baked Milk Tart with Crust

The traditional South African Milk Tart recipe that is a fan favourite for any South African and loved by others from around the globe too!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Dessert, Tea Time

Cuisine: South African

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 125g butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• vanilla essense

filling

• 1 liter milk
• 6 eggs
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 105g mezina
• 100g flour
• ¾ tsp almond essense
• salt pinch

Method

 

Crust

Step 1

1. Measure the flour, baking powder and salt in a jug and whisk until combined.
   
2. Cream butter and sugar together with a beater attachment until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 
3. Add the egg, oil and essence, beat until thoroughly incorporated. By hand add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Step 2

1. Press the dough into a 25cm/10inch tart plate. Make sure that it isn't too thick and dock with a fork. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400-450°F (204°C-230°c) The pastry can be baked 1-2 days in advance and covered well and placed in an airtight container or box.

Filling

1. Boil milk and add butter
2. Add flour and Mezina that has been mixed in to a thin paste with a little of the above milk
3. Split egg yolk and white
4. Whip egg yolk and sugar then add to milk
5. Whip egg white, but not too stiff
6. Add to above mixture
7. Add almond essence
8. mix carefully
9. Pour in the slightly cooled filling in the tart base

Final Step: The Bake

1. Bake in crust for 15-17min at 204°C-230°c) – 399.2°F to 446°F

This traditional South African Milk Tart (Melktert) is best enjoyed with friends and family. 😉