Melktert: the recipe for simple and delicious South African milk cake

The melktert it’s a typical South African dessert, whose name literally means milk cake: it’s a soft tart, made from a shortcrust pastry base a creamy milk filling – also prepared with flour, sugar and eggs – in which stands out the touch of cinnamon.

This recipe, born in 17th century from the fusion of sweets from the Dutch settlers and local desserts, it is now widespread in South Africa and much appreciated especially by children. Simple and delicious, it is ideal as an after-meal, but also for breakfast Yeah nibble.

To achieve the base shortcrust pastry butter must be kept in the refrigerator as long as possible. When you prepare the stuffed, instead, be sure to use all ingredients at ambient temperature.

If you liked this preparation, also try the recipe for the cake with condensed milk, a delicious and super soft donut, or that of the tre leches cake, a delicious dessert of Mexican origin.

How to make melktert

Start with the dough, sift the flour and place it in a heap on a work surface; add the cold butter cut into cubes (1), the sugar and the salt in the center.

Start kneading with your fingertips until you get a crumbly mixture. With the crumbs obtained, recreate the fountain, add the eggs in the center (2) and work everything very quickly.

Form a ball (3), wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Put the milk in a saucepan (4), keeping 2 tablespoons aside and bring it almost to a boil. Break the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.

Beat remaining milk, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and egg yolks in a medium bowl (5).

Pour the flour, sugar and egg yolks mixture into the hot milk (6); cook over very low heat until the mixture thickens, then let cool for at least 5 minutes.

In a separate, clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (7).

Gently fold the egg whites into the milk mixture (8), without removing them. Turn on the oven and bring it to 180 ° C.

Take the shortcrust pastry out of the refrigerator and roll it out quickly; put it in a lightly buttered round mold (9). Blind it for about 15 minutes. Let the base cool for about 20 minutes.

Transfer the cream of milk to the base (10) evenly.

Sprinkle the cinnamon with a fine strainer (11) over the entire surface.

Put the cake in the refrigerator to harden for an hour (12).

Take the cake out of the fridge and cut it into slices, then serve (13).

storage

You can store the melktert in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2-3 days; freezing is not recommended.