South African No-Bake Milk Tart – Melktert

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Easy to make, no-bake Milk Tart aka Melktert is a classic South African dessert recipe with a custard-like filling dusted with cinnamon and a delicious crust made from tennis biscuits.

The filling is cooked on the stovetop but you can find recipes that are oven-baked and that have no crust at all.

Tarts are a little fancy, but not like evening gown fancy – just a polite afternoon tea fancy. Especially when you dust a little sugar over the top to give you a little boldness and a nice, photo-worthy aesthetic.

This dessert is believed to have originated among settlers at the Dutch Cape Colony in the 17th century.

Some recipes require that the custard be baked in the crust or without the crust, but here, we cook the filling on the stovetop, so no need to turn on the oven. The perfect dessert for hot summer days!

Everyone loves a rich vanilla custard-like filling paired with cinnamon inside of a beautiful, homemade crust.

A little bit of smooth and rich with a texture contrast really gets the taste buds going, and this confection really does the trick.

What is Milk Tart?

Milk tart is a South African dessert consisting of a pastry crust and a creamy, custard-like filling. It’s their version of creampie or milk pie.

 People also asked:

1. WHAT ARE TENNIS BISCUITS?

Tennis biscuits are a square, crispy tea biscuit made with a little maple syrup and coconut.

2. WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF TENNIS BISCUITS?

You can use Digestive Biscuits, Graham Crackers, or Marie biscuits, however, it’ll alter the authenticity of the recipe and its flavor.

3. HOW LONG DOES MILK TART LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

Covered and refrigerated, this tart will keep well for up to 4 days, if it lasts that long, ha!

4. CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE GLUTEN-FREE?

Absolutely! Use gluten-free graham cracker crumbs or make it crustless. Pour the custard into a greased tart or cake pan, dust with cinnamon, and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

How to make South African Melktert?

1. In a food processor, combine biscuits with melted butter and cinnamon; process until the biscuits are crushed and all ingredients are combined. Press into the bottom and sides of your tart pan; refrigerate.
2. Using an electric mixer, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and 1/2 cup milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
3. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of milk to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and slowly stir in your blended mixture, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Pour mixture into the prepared tart pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. Let cool and then place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Recipe Notes: 

• You can pack the biscuits in a single layer on the bottom of the tart pan, instead of crushing them into crumbs.
• Make the crust ahead of time; just simply leave it in the fridge in the tart pan.
• Adding a cinnamon stick to the saucepan with milk will infuse the filling with a hint of cinnamon. Remove the stick before pouring filling over the crust.
• Stove-top custard is ready when it’s thick enough to coat a whisk or a spoon well, or if you’re able to run a spoon through it and the line holds its shape.
• Decorate your tart by dusting ground cinnamon over a stencil, paper cut-out, or doily gently placed on top of the tart. Lift carefully.
• You can mix up the flavor a bit by using nutmeg and cinnamon instead of just cinnamon.

Products used for this recipe:

These are affiliate links for Amazon but you can find these products at a store too. Gotta love Amazon because it is such a time saver and you have it delivered to your door quickly and free (if you’re a Prime Member). If you like boring legal things, click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Tennis Biscuits

If you love coconut, you’ll love these delicious Coconut biscuits which go equally well with tea as they do as a baking ingredient.

Electric Mixer

An electric mixer is a staple of every kitchen and you certainly don’t need to buy one if you already have a mixer that works. I would recommend a standing mixer. It’s a time saver – you let it do its thing while you prep other ingredients. If you can afford this one, put it on your Christmas or Birthday wish list. That’s how I got mine, two people pitched in.

Food Processor

You certainly don’t need to spend a lot on a good food processor. I’ve had this one for about 8 years and it still serves me well. You’ll find many uses for it and it will help cut (no pun intended) your preparation time at least in half. Can you imagine chopping everything into teeny tiny pieces by hand? Trust me – a food processor is your best friend. Browse to find one that suits your needs the best.

Wilton Non-Stick Tart Pan

You can get any brand tart pan, but I’m never disappointed by Wilton. It is usually my go-to for baking needs.

If you like this milk tart, try these South African desserts:

· Malva Pudding Mini Cakes

· Oatmeal Cookie Bars – Crunchies 

South African No-Bake Milk Tart – Melktert

Classic South African dessert recipe with a custard-like filling and a delicious crust.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: South African

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Jas

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 package tennis or digestive biscuits (7-9 oz.)
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the filling

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• A pinch of salt
• 4 1/2 cups full-fat milk divided
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons butter
• Ground cinnamon for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the crust:

• In a food processor blend the tennis or digestive biscuits with cinnamon and melted butter until combined and crumbled.
• Transfer to an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom and spread over the bottom and up the sides, firmly pressing down. Place the pan in the fridge to harden while you make the filling.

For the filling:

• With an electric mixer or a food processor, mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, 1/2 cup milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
• In a large saucepan, add 4 cups milk and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the milk.
• Lower the heat to low and slowly, in a thin stream, add the flour mixture to the hot milk, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until thickened and completely cooked, about 15 minutes or when the filling pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
• Pour in prepared tart pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and let cool. When cool, refrigerate until firm enough to slice, at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

• You can pack the biscuits in a single layer on the bottom of the tart pan, instead of crushing them into crumbs.
• Make the crust ahead of time; just simply leave it in the fridge in the tart pan.
• Adding a cinnamon stick to the saucepan with milk will infuse the filling with a hint of cinnamon. Remove the stick before pouring the filling over the crust.
• Stove-top custard is ready when it's thick enough to coat a whisk or a spoon well, or if you're able to run a spoon through it and the line holds its shape.
• Decorate your tart by dusting ground cinnamon over a stencil, paper cut-out, or doily gently placed on top of the tart. Lift carefully.
• You can mix up the flavor a bit by using nutmeg and cinnamon instead of just cinnamon.
• See post details for a gluten-free version. 

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 215mg | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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