Easy milk tart recipe

Every South African family has inherited a milk tart recipe from their grandmothers and everyone proudly proclaims their milk tart or ‘melktert’ is the very best one around. In fact, milk tart competitions are often held, where judges select the local milk tart winner. It’s a dessert that is steeped in the history of South Africa – and it certainly has stood the test of time!

The origins of the South African milk tart

Milk tart originated from the Dutch settlers when they arrived in the Cape in the 1600s – and the high milk content is credited to the thriving dairy farming community in the Cape of Good Hope. The original recipe of the milk tart is credited to Thomas van der Noot’s book ‘Een notable boexcken van cokeryen’. A traditional milk tart consists of a sweet pastry crust filled with a creamy milk custard consisting of sugar, eggs and flour. The tart is baked in a round pie tin and then dusted with cinnamon once it has set. The filling of the milk tart can vary from firm to wobbly and some people prefer to eat it warm, while others prefer it cold.

You will find milk tart sold at every church bazaar, bake sale, supermarket and bakery and Jamie Oliver has even made SA’s milk tart famous on an Instagram post. Today many people are adapting milk tart recipes to align them with diets – and a great favourite with people trying to cut down in their carbs in the crustless milk tart, which does away with the traditional short-crust pastry. We’re sure our ancestors are horrified at the thought!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups milk
• 3 egg white
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar

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