Coconut filling milk tart: Layers of South African flavour

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we ask what your faovurite South African dessert is? Milk tart or “melktert” is high on that list with it’s light crust and vanilla custard fillinng, always brings a smile to your face. It’s time to take grandma’s iconic recipe to a new level with a layer of coconut goodness. Our coconut filling milk tart isn’t completely new but it will become the new way to finish-off your Sunday lunch with the family.

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Coconut filling milk tart tips

Also known as ‘melktert’ in Afrikaans, this recipe uses a ratio of milk to eggs that is higher than in a traditional Portuguese custard tart also known as pastéis de nata. It results in a lighter texture and a stronger milk flavour. With this recipe, we are adding a flavour and texture of coconut to give this great traditional dessert some extra character and flavour. The recipe also requires blind baking the crust which is just pre-baking it and weighting it down with rice or something similar.

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Do you need a traditional Sunday lunch dessert or something sweet with your cup of tea? This coconut filling milk tart is here to treat you.

Last updated on 29 May 2023

Coconut filling milk tart

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Recipe by Irene Muller Course: DessertCuisine: South AfricanDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Ingredients

• For the crust

• 62.5 g 62.5 butter

• ¼ cup ¼ sugar

• 1 1 egg

• ¼ tsp ¼ salt

• ½ tsp ½ custard powder

• 1 tsp 1 baking powder

• 1 cup 1 flour

• For the coconut filling

• 1 cup 1 coconut

• ½ cup ½ brown sugar

• 60 g 60 butter

• For the custard filling

• 1 litre 1 milk

• 1 tsp 1 butter

• 3 3 eggs

• ½ tsp ½ salt

• 1 cup 1 sugar

• 2½ tbsp 2½ cornflour (Maizena)

• 1½ tbsp 1½ flour

• 1 tbsp 1 custard powder

• 1 tsp 1 almond essence

• cinnamon powder for sprinkling at the end

Method

• CRUST
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Cream the butter and sugar then add the egg.
• Add all the dry ingredients and work with you fingers until crumbly.
• Roll out your dough a little bit wider than usual and place it into the pie dish. If the pie dish is a little taller than usual, the dough will have more room to shrink.  Alternatively, just press the dough evenly in the pie dish.
• Prick with a fork the base of the dough and then blind bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven (add dried beans or rice in baking paper, place on crust).
• Remove from oven and remove the baking paper and let it cool.
• For the coconut filling
• Place the butter on medium heat, when melted add the sugar and coconut. Keep on stirring until it has a lovely darker colour, do not burn.
• When the crust has cooled, add a layer of this on the bottom of the crust. Set aside.
• For the custard filling
• Bring the milk with added butter to the boil on medium heat.
• Using your mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and salt together.
• Mix the cornflour, flour and custard together, add to the egg mixture very slowly so the eggs don’t scramble.
• Add 1 cup of the boiling milk and mix well.
• This egg mixture is added to the boiling milk, bring to the boil again, stir continuously until thickened. Ensure it does not burn.
• Add the custard to the pie dish, when cooled, sprinkle with cinnamon and place in fridge for at least 3 hours. 

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