Milk Tart

This easy, rich, and creamy dessert is perfect for relaxed weekends and effortless entertaining. With a simple press-in shortcrust pastry and a silky milk filling, it delivers all the nostalgic flavors of South African milk tart with cheesecake vibes—without the fuss, time, or expense.

Course Dessert

Cuisine African

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 509kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Pastry Crust (pâte sablée or pâte sucrée)

1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (40g) confectioner's sugar
¼ teaspoon (2g) salt
9 tablespoons (125g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (cold or frozen)
1 large egg yolk

Milk Filling

2¼ cups (530ml) milk
2 tablespoons (28g) butter
½ teaspoon (1-2g) ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon (1-2g) nutmeg (or more cinnamon)
2 tablespoons (15g) flour
3-4 tablespoons (22-30g) cornstarch
½ cup (100g) sugar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (2-3ml) almond extract (optional)
2 large eggs
cocoa powder or ground cinnamon for dusting

Instructions

Pastry Crust

Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure it is well coated. Set aside.
Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix the ingredients.
Toss in the butter and pulse until a rough dough forms.
Add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough barely comes together.
Remove the dough, place it on a work surface, and knead just enough to incorporate everything, working the dough as little as possible. Overworked dough will make tough pastry. When it's ready, it will be barely moist and come together into a ball.
Lightly press the dough onto the prepared pie pan, working from the center out until the bottom and sides are fully covered. Again, be gentle when pressing the dough onto the pie pan.
Place the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to prevent the dough from rising during baking. If you are in a rush, weigh it down with beans to prevent it from rising.
Place the rack in the center of the oven, then preheat it to 400℉ (205℃).
Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes or until it's dry and golden brown. Set aside.

Milk Filling

Place a saucepan over medium heat, add milk, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat.
In another bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and the extracts. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. Gently whisk the mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Now return the pan to the heat and keep stirring constantly until it starts to bubble. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into the baked pastry shell. Sprinkle it with cocoa powder or ground cinnamon and chill until ready to serve.

Notes

Pâte sablée and pâte sucrée have the same ingredients, but the process is different and delivers slightly different results. The pâte sablée is crumblier, while the pâte sucrée puffs up more. I won't tell anyone if you use a different crust.
If, in spite of your best efforts, there are lumps in the milk filling, an immersion blender will take care of it. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition