These classic South African unbaked milk tarts are so easy and delicious. The base is made with the iconic Baker’s Tennis biscuits and melted butter.
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Milk tart is a classic South African heritage recipe and it’s utterly delicious. The filling consists of either a cooked custard filling and the tart itself can be baked or unbaked. When it’s baked it’s the most similar to a Portuguese pasteis de nata and originates from the Dutch part of our heritage.
I have done a baked milk tart recipe on my site and it’s a really nice one. I added a twist and infused Earl Grey tea into the filling turning it into a London Fog rendition, but you could leave that out and make a traditional version.
These mini tarts are novel but they require more biscuits for the base and take a little longer to make. It’s much easier to go with one large milk tart and then use one packet of biscuits. I’ve included instructions to do it both ways.
After making this I was reminded how much I really love milk tart. There is something so comforting about eating a confection that can take you right back to your childhood and to other times throughout your life. It’s what heritage recipes are all about and I love the nostalgia of it.
To make this into 1 large milk tart:
This recipe can be made into 1 large milk tart using 200 grams (1 packet) of tennis biscuits and 100 grams of butter as the base. To make 12 individual tarts you will need more crumb base so I have done 1.5 times the recipe to make 12.
I used a 25cm pie/tart tin which has an 18cm base circumference. It was a snug fit and it was perfect, but a 26cm pie dish could also work. This biscuit base is also generous which I like.
See myberry cheesecake with almond crumble
You might also like these South African recipes:
Earl Grey tea milk tart-Baked milk tart
The best buttermilk bran rusks
Orange malva pudding
The best chocolate malva pudding
My grandmother Betty’s crunchy recipe
A classic buttermilk rusk recipe
Easy peppermint crisp pudding
Traditional South African bobotie with fragrant yellow rice
Here is my video of how to make a classic South African unbaked milk tart recipe:
Recipe – makes 1 big milt tart or 12 mini milk tarts
A classic South African unbaked milk tart
This is the best classic South African unbaked Milk Tart recipe
Print Recipe
Prep Time:20 minutesmins
Ingredients
200gms1 packet Tennis biscuits
100gms buttermelted
700mlfull cream milk
1tin condensed milk
2tspvanilla extract
2eggsseparated
50gms cornstarch
50mlwater
pinchof salt
Cinnamon to decorate
Instructions
Break the Tennis biscuits into fine crumbs by hand or by using a food processor and mix in the melted butter until well combined.
Line a 25cm-26cm pie tin with the tennis biscuit crumbs and press down to compact. Place in the fridge or freezer to set while you make the filling.
If you are making individual milk tarts, use 1 1/2 packets of tennis biscuits (300 grams) and 150 grams of butter. Line the base and sides of 12 x 8cm individual tart cases with the biscuit crumbs and press to compact. Place in the fridge or freezer to set while you make the filling.
In a medium-sized pot, heat the milk, condensed milk and vanilla over a medium until boiling point (make sure you stir until the condensed milk is dissolved).
While that is heating up, separate the eggs and whisk the eggs whites to soft peak in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, water and salt. When the milk is at boiling point take it off the heat and allow it to cool for 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk mixture slowly while whisking vigorously all the time.
Return the pot to a low heat and continue to whisk constantly until it thickens, about 5 -7 minutes.
Add the egg whites to the milk mixture and whisk for about 2 more minutes until well combined.
Pour the filling into the lined pastry cases and allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge to set completely.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and serve.
Notes
It is best to make this Milk tart the day before and allow it to fully set and cool in the fridge overnight. the flavour will also improve overnight.
The filling can be used as a chilled thick custard for various other desserts.
To make 12 mini milk tarts increase the crumb mixture to 1.5 packets (300 grams) and 150 grams of butter.
The mother of all South African desserts and the only competitor of the milk tart for the title of South African's national dessert, Malva pudding is a sweet pudding of custard with a jam. Some recipes have more of an unexpected slight sourness, but it always has caramel and syrup to make the cake moist.
Allow the milk tart to cool at room temperature. If you put it in the fridge straight away, you will probably end up with a huge crack down the centre as a result of cooling too quickly. Be sure to use the best quality ingredients.
Indeed, when the lateder, die verstorbene ...the late statesman's personal chef, Xoliswa Ndoyiya, created a book of Mandela's favourite recipes, malva pudding was one of the highlights. The anti-apartheid revolutionary would insist that the children around him ate fruit for dessert.
Malva pudding is Cape Town's favourite dessert. It's the perfect sweet follow-up to a great braai or potjiekos, and feels terrifically celebratory even just as a simple Tuesday treat. It's also a great way to celebrate a public holiday in South Africa!
It originated in the Dutch Cape Colony in the 1700s, amongst the Afrikaner population. It is believed to have developed from the Dutch 'Mattentaart', which was a cheesecake-like dessert. The Afrikaans name for this pudding is 'melktert', which translates directly to its English name, milk tart.
Sour milk is a drink that is popular in Southern Africa and is fermented milk that tastes like a mix between cottage cheese and plain yogurt.Common names for this drink are Inkomazi,Maas,Amasi,Madila Stock Photo | Adobe Stock.
Melktert (/ˈmɛlktɛrt/, Afrikaans for milk tart) is a South African dessert originally created by the Dutch settlers in the "Cape" (South Africa) consisting of a sweet pastry crust containing a custard filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs.
1. Howzit – A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as “How are you?” or simply “Hello”. 2. Heita – An urban and rural greeting used by South Africans.
It's a tea-and-coffee culture, so breakfast is often a cup of something hot (with lots of sugar added) served alongside something bready. That can be a piece of toast with jam or cheese, a rusk (a thick and tooth-breakingly hard cookie), buttered bread, or even a hot dog bun.
This tart filling is a custard as the thickening agent is egg yolks. If it isn't thickening up enough then one of two things is happening: The mix isn't being brought up to temperature. The recipe's instructions aren't very good because it talks about a time rather than a target temperature.
Once the milk mixture has reached boiling point, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the pot, whisking vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming.
Wet pie fillings + raw dough are a tricky combination. If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.
The two deserts found in Southern Africa are the Namib and the Kalahari. The Namib desert is located along the Western coast of Namibia and is one of the oldest deserts in the world.
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa.
Bobotie. Another dish thought to have been brought to South Africa by Asian settlers, bobotie is now the national dish of the country and cooked in many homes and restaurants. Minced meat is simmered with spices, usually curry powder, herbs and dried fruit, then topped with a mixture of egg and milk and baked until set ...
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
