milk tart | The Kate Tin

Festive Gingerbread Milk Tarts

by Kate | Dec 12, 2020 | 0 comments

A classic South African milk tart gets a festive twist with a gingerbread pastry and a spiced orange custard filling!

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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good mince pie, a slice of fruit cake with a THICK layer of marzipan, gingerbread biscuits and don’t even start with my weakness – trifle. But it’s a little sad that here in South Africa our Christmas tables are laden with recipes originating from America and the UK when we have such delicious traditional recipes of our own! This year, I’m ditching the mince pies for our very own South African version: the festive milk tart!

The pastry for these festive gingerbread milk tarts has a sprinkling of spices and the Natura Sugars Molasses sugar (Click to shop it on my online shop) gives it a rich molasses flavour and just a hint of sweetness. The custard filling is infused with orange zest and bay leaves – and of course, it’s not a milk tart without the cinnamon topping! I cut out festive shapes from acetate sheets and used them to create an effortless decoration!

Check out the video I made below of these Festive Gingerbread Milk Tarts and how to make them step by step. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel (it’s free) here: https://youtube.com/thekatetin

FESTIVE GINGERBREAD MILK TARTS

GINGERBREAD PASTRY
250g cake flour
5ml cinnamon
2.5ml ground ginger
2.5ml freshly grated nutmeg
60g Natura Sugars Molasses Sugar (CLICK to shop)
120g salted butter, coarsely chopped
3 large egg yolks

MILK TART FILLING
950ml milk
Zest of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
3 large eggs
225g Natura Sugars Caster Sugar (CLICK to shop)
50g cake flour
50g cornflour
20g butter
10ml ground cinnamon

For the pastry, process the flour, spices and Molasses sugar in a food processor to combine, then add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the yolks, process until just combined. Tip out onto a work surface and bring the pastry together to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 5mm thick and line 8, x10 cm loose-bottomed straight-edged tart tins.
Trim the edges with a sharp knife and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).
Blind-bake the tarts by placing a piece of baking paper in the lined tart tins and fill with dry beans, rice or baking beads.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown and crisp, then remove baking paper and weights and bake for a further 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the milk tart filling, in a saucepan over a medium heat, bring the milk, zest, cinnamon and bay leaves to just before boiling point, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, flour and cornflour until well mixed. Strain the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the stove and whisk constantly until it thickens, then add the butter and mix. Leave to cool before pouring the mixture into the cooked tart shells. Allow to cool before sprinkling liberally with the cinnamon.

OR get the printable recipe card below:

Festive Gingerbread Milk Tarts

2019-11-11 18:23:22

Yields 8

Prep Time

1 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

2 hr

Prep Time

1 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

2 hr

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

Yields

Amount Per Serving

Calories 0

Calories from Fat 0

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 0g

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 0mg

Total Carbohydrates 0g

Dietary Fiber 0g

Sugars 0g

Protein 0g

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Does this look wrong?

Ingredients

GINGERBREAD PASTRY
250g cake flour
5ml cinnamon
2.5ml ground ginger
2.5ml freshly grated nutmeg
60g Natura Sugars Molasses Sugar
120g salted butter, coarsely chopped
3 large egg yolks
MILK TART FILLING
950ml milk
Zest of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
3 large eggs
225g Natura Sugars Caster Sugar
50g cake flour
50g cornflour
20g butter
10ml ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the pastry, process the flour, spices and Molasses sugar in a food processor to combine, then add butter and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the yolks, process until just combined. Tip out onto a work surface and bring the pastry together to form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 5mm thick and line 8, x10 cm loose-bottomed straight-edged tart tins.
Trim the edges with a sharp knife and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).
Blind-bake the tarts by placing a piece of baking paper in the lined tart tins and fill with dry beans, rice or baking beads.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown and crisp, then remove baking paper and weights and bake for a further 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To make the milk tart filling, in a saucepan over a medium heat, bring the milk, zest, cinnamon and bay leaves to just before boiling point, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, flour and cornflour until well mixed. Strain the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the stove and whisk constantly until it thickens, then add the butter and mix. Leave to cool before pouring the mixture into the cooked tart shells. Allow to cool before sprinkling liberally with the cinnamon.

By TheKateTin.com

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The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/

Turmeric Milk Tart

by Kate | Sep 23, 2017 | 1 comment

Turmeric is not the first thing you’d imaging putting inside a milk tart – and goodness knows that this might upset a few people but this turmeric milk tart, is rather special for me. Heritage day might mean braaing for most South Africans, but for me, it’s the day I dig out my maternal grandmother and great aunt’s tattered recipe books and make something that represents MY heritage – what makes me unique. This year, it is this turmeric milk tart; a spicy twist on my Nanna’s milk tart inspired with some other flavours that make me, me.

My maternal grandmother probably turned in her grave when I added turmeric, ginger and cardamom to her recipe, but it’s a nod to my most recently discovered roots. While digging up our family history, my father discovered that my great great great grandmother was from Mumbai – while travelling for work in India, my great great great grandfather fell in love with her and they moved back to Cape Town to get married and so the Williams family begun.

With my mom’s side being Afrikaans (the infamous Hildagonda Duckitt is in her lineage – the first women to write a cookbook in South Africa nogals too!) and my dad’s side being a mix of Welsh, some British and a dash of Indian, this recipe is an ode to MY heritage – and it just so happens to be delicious too (and trendy – golden milk is super fashionable!).

Turmeric Milk Tart

Makes 1

1 x 400g roll puff pastry, thawed

Egg white, to glaze

Filling:

500ml milk

1 cinnamon stick

3 green cardamom pods

6 black peppercorns

100ml (60g) cake flour

25ml )16g) corn starch

pinch of salt

60ml sugar

3 egg yolks

2 tsp turmeric (use fresh turmeric, if you can find)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

pinch of ground nutmeg

1 tsp almond extract

165ml milk

10g butter

3 egg whites

40ml sugar

Cinnamon/turmeric for dusting

To make the tart case, line a 25cm tart tin (an enamel plate works well too) with the puff pastry, trimming off the sides to fit.. Measure the edge of the pan and cut another strip to fit. (if you want to make a braid, simply cut it in 3 and plait the strips). Brush a little egg white on the strip and press it onto the edge. Brush the base of the pie crust with egg white too. Refrigerate until needed. Preheat the oven to 260 °C (240°C if fan-forced). For the filling, bring the milk to a boil with the cinnamon stick, cardamom and peppercorns. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, egg yolks, spices, almond extract and remaining milk to make a creamy paste. Strain the hot milk over the paste, whisking continuously then return to the heat and cook until thickened. Whisk in the butter. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, gradually add the remaining sugar to form a glossy meringue then fold into the still-warm custard. Pour the mixture into the baked tart case and bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 °C (180°C if fan-forced) and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until wobbly but just set. Dust with ground cinnamon, if desired.

TIP Try and find an old-fashioned enamel ‘blik bord’ to bake the milk tart in – it really makes a big difference in making sure you don’t get a soggy puff pastry bottom! You can find them at flea markets and they’re dirt cheap.

Doughnuts Stuffed with Milk Tart Filling

by Kate | Feb 27, 2017 | 2 comments

One of life’s best experiences is eating a still-hot doughnut straight from the deep-fryer. Like chilli it has that pleasure-pain thing going on that just drives me crazy! Hot doughnuts are pretty high on my list of ‘things that I crave the most late at night’ as my husband-to-be can attest to, afterall, it was on one of these craving days that I found out he was a keeper! It was about 10pm on a weeknight and I was tucked up in bed. I casually tossed out a ‘I could kill for a warm doughnut right now’ as if uttering the words out loud would somehow make the craving go away. In my doughnut-lusting state I completely missed him sneaking out the room and it was only when I heard the sound of dough being submerged in hot, bubbling oil that I realised my deep-fried carb dreams (and marriage aspirations) were about to come true! A few minutes later, he presented me with 5 perfect, piping hot, light-as-air doughnuts lightly dusted in cinnamon sugar. While I scoffed them under the duvet covers, I remember thinking that these were the best doughnuts of my life. And this was the best man of my life! While I’ve tried to recreate those 5 perfect doughnuts and been unsuccessful, these do come pretty darn close. Stuff them with raspberry jam or nutella if you wish, but since today is National Milk Tart Day, I thought I’d give them a custardy kick. I hope these make your deep-fried carb dreams come true just like they did mine!

Milk Tart Doughnuts

Makes 30.

Milk tart filling

600ml milk

2 tbsp (30ml) cornstarch (maizena)

1 tbsp (15ml) cake flour

4 tbsp (60ml) Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting

1 cup Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

500g store-bought or homemade yeast dough, proved once (use my recipe here)

vegetable oil, for frying

For the filling, bring the milk to a boil (I added a cinnamon stick and bay leaf to mine). In the meantime, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and cinnamon and a little of the milk to make a creamy paste. Pour the hot milk over the paste, whisking continuously then return to the heat and cook until thickened. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then whisk into the still-warm filling. Allow to cool then place into a piping bag. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. To make the doughnuts, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Roll 2 tablespoonful of dough into balls at a time and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and set aside for 30 minutes or until risen.

Place the oil and a sugar thermometer in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat until temperature reaches 180°C. Cook the doughnuts, in batches, for 1 minute each side or until golden. Drain on absorbent paper and immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Carefully pierce doughnuts with a knife and fill with the custard. Serve immediately.

Cheat’s Milk Tart Custard Slices with Cinnamon

by Kate | Feb 25, 2017 | 12 comments

This is the best/only custard slice recipe you will ever need, people! Okay so it’s kinda cheating – it’s made with cream crackers and custard powder but darn does it taste good! And while I’ve given this version a milk tart twist for National Milk Tart Day (which by the way is on the 27 February) best believe it is equally delicious with the traditional tangy lemon glaze – so I’ve included a recipe for that too. I was given this recipe by my childhood best friend, Tammy – her mom used to send her to the farm I grew up on with a tin filled to the brim with these creamy slices every Friday after school. We’d sit in our treehouse (which we built ourselves – girl power!) and devour them, sharing them only with each other (‘cos no trespasser’s allowed!) and getting custard all over our hands – the best part about custard slices is the fact that they squish everywhere and it requires much licking of fingers to get every last bit of the creamy filling!

I must add that the recipe wasn’t just given to me – it was carefully handwritten and lovingly placed into a folder along with all my other best friends’ favourite recipes (all scribbled down on various coloured paper with different handwriting) for my 18th birthday. It is still one of my most treasured possessions – and the title of the cookbook? ‘Katelyn’s Favouriteistest Favourite Flop-Proof Recipe Cookbook – Made with love by all her friends’ How awesome is that? Pretty awesome – almost as awesome as these custard slices!

Milk Tart Custard Slices

Makes 16-20

1 x 200g packet unsalted cream crackers

½ cup cake flour

100ml maizena or corn flour

20ml custard powder (or substitute with extra Maizena)

pinch of salt

100ml water

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

3 eggs, separated

1 litre full cream milk

1 cup Natura Sugars Soft Brown Sugar

60g butter

For dusting:

1/4 cup Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Line a 20 x 30cm cake tin with baking paper and arrange a layer of crackers on the bottom. Make a paste with the flour, cornflour, custard powder, salt, water, vanilla, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the milk. Heat the remaining milk, vanilla, cinnamon stick, sugar and butter and add to the paste while whisking. Return to the pot and cook until the custard is thick, stirring continuously. Whip the egg whites until stiff then fold into the lukewarm custard. Pour the custard over the crackers and place another layer of crackers on top. Allow to set in the fridge until completely cool. Mix the icing sugar and cinnamon then dust the slices. Cut into slices and serve.

TIP To make the traditional lemon glaze (instead of the cinnamon topping), mix 1 cup demerara icing sugar and the juice of 1 lemon together with a little hot water to form a paste and drizzle over the tops of the custard slices.

Milk Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

by Kate | Dec 12, 2016 | 3 comments

Here’s a question for you; if there’s a Christmas lunch and there’s no trifle on the table, was it even Christmas at all? These are the things I lie awake and think about at 3am. Also, why do we still struggle with Christmas puddings, custard and roast turkey’s in the middle of summer. I’m not saying we should abandon traditions that spilled over onto our South African shores, but, each year I long for us to inject our own flavour and twists onto them. In our home, we’ve stripped the British Christmas down to one thing; gammon. That’s it for us! Give us gammon, and it’s Christmas! Last year was the fall of the trifle and the year before that, the turkey got the axe. But unlike all the other hot puddings, trifle fits with our climate which is how it came to get a bit of Pinotage, some milk tart and a drizzling of naartjie caramel. And because we’re huge fans of the eclair in SA, I thought I’d get rid of the sponge too. These flavours together are just magic – in fact, the trifle may just be making a comeback on our Christmas menu! If you’re skipping the booze, then swop the Pinotage for Naartjie juice but it really does taste incredible with the milk tart filling. And the best part about this dessert is that it can be made ahead of time – bonus! Which traditional Christmas dessert do you wish would get a local makeover?

Milk Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

Recipe originally shot and created for Food & Home Entertaining Magazine

Éclairs

75g cake flour

40g butter, cubed

125ml (½ cup) water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Milk tart filling

500ml (2 cups) milk

1 cinnamon quill

40ml cornflour

45ml (3 tbsp) caster sugar

5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence

4 large egg yolks

2 large egg whites

Pinotage jelly

3 (2g) gelatine sheets

310ml (1¼ cups) pinotage wine

30ml (2 tbsp) sugar

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon quill

Naartjie caramel

225g castor sugar

225ml naartjie juice

To serve

500ml (2 cups) fresh cream, whipped to soft peaks

60ml (4 tbsp) icing sugar, sifted

225g castor sugar, to dip and to make spun sugar

edible gold stars (optional)

1 For the éclairs, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C for fan-assisted). Sieve the cake flour. Heat the butter and water in a pot over high heat until just melted and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from heat and add all of the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, return to the heat and cook, about 1 minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until cool. Add the beaten eggs into the pastry, a little at a time, until smooth, shiny and of a piping consistency. Add a little more egg, if needed. Place the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe tablespoonfuls of mixture into lined baking trays, leaving enough space to puff up. Bake, about 15 – 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Switch off the oven, remove the puffs, pierce each with a skewer to allow steam to escape and immediately return to the oven to dry out, 5 minutes.

2 For the milk tart filling, heat half of the milk with the cinnamon quill until just below boiling point. Set aside to infuse, 5 minutes. Whisk the remaining cold milk with the cornflour, castor sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla and egg yolks. Whisk into the hot milk. Cook over medium heat until thick and the flour taste is cooked out, about 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon quill. Beat the 2 egg whites until soft peaks start to form and slowly fold into the custard. Pour into a medium-sized dish, cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate until set.

3 For the pinotage jelly, soften the 3 gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water. Once soft, squeeze out the water and transfer to a small pot with 250ml (1 cup) of the wine, sugar and spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatine and sugar are completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug and stir in the remaining red wine. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a large 4-litre capacity trifle bowl and refrigerate until set.

4 For the naartjie caramel, place the castor sugar in a saucepan and heat until caramelised and golden. Deglaze with the naartjie juice, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

5 To assemble, fold half of the whipped cream into the set milk tart filling, place in a piping bag with a plain tip nozzle and fill the profiteroles. Make a caramel by heating the castor sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cooking until golden. Remove from heat and dip the tops of the profiteroles into the caramel, working quickly so that it doesn’t set hard (use the remaining caramel to make spun sugar, if desired).

6 Stir the icing sugar into the remaining whipped cream, and layer the profiteroles and whipped cream in alternate layers. Drizzle with the naartjie syrup in between. Decorate with spun sugar and edible gold stars, if desired.

TIP To make the spun sugar, tape 2 wooden spoons, 10cm apart, onto a benchtop with the handles hanging over the side of the bench. Place a sheet of baking paper on the floor under the handles. Once your caramel starts to set, use a fork or whisk and quickly flick the caramel back and forth between the handles of the spoons to form thin strands. Once set, gather the strands and shape into a large ball. Use immediately.

Milk Tart Pancakes with Cinnamon Crumble

by Kate | Sep 2, 2013 | 3 comments

Pancakes (or crepes to the rest of the world) are an integral part of South African culture, particularly famous for being sold at church bazaars or farmer’s markets where they come wrapped in wax paper on a paper plate and so steaming-hot that they blister your fingers and melt the cinnamon sugar sprinkled inside.

It was this traditional sprinkling that gave me the idea to stuff the pancakes with another South African favourite; milk tart. This recipe contains an almost deconstructed milk tart filling; creamy cinnamon-spiked custard and a crunchy, crispy, spicy crumble. Pancakes and milk tart were just meant to be combined and so, I give you, the South African double dessert!

Milk Tart Pancakes with Cinnamon Crumble

Serves 6

Pancakes

125g cake flour

pinch of salt

2 large eggs

250ml milk

2 tbsp melted butter or oil

Milk tart filling

2 cups milk

1 cinnamon stick

80ml cake flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Crumble

1 cup cake flour

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ cup sugar

100g butter, chopped

Cinnamon-sugar, to serve*

Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk and whisk into the dry ingredients with the butter or oil. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat a non-stick pan and ladle a small amount of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around to evenly coat it with batter. When the edges begin to lift, flip over and cook the other side until brown. To make the filling, heat half the milk with the cinnamon stick until just below boiling point then set aside to infuse. Whisk the remaining cold milk with the flour, sugar and ground cinnamon to form a smooth paste then whisk in the hot milk. Cook over a medium heat until thick and the flour is cooked out. Flavour with vanilla and remove the cinnamon stick. Set aside (cover the surface with clingwrap to prevent a skin forming). Make the crumbles by combining the flour, cinnamon and sugar and rubbing in the butter to form large crumbs. Spread on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes, stirring every now and then until golden and crisp. Allow to cool. Serve the pancakes spread with the milk tart filling, a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and the crumbles.

Festive Gingerbread Milk Tarts

A classic South African milk tart gets a festive twist with a gingerbread pastry and a spiced orange custard filling!

Turmeric Milk Tart

Doughnuts Stuffed with Milk Tart Filling

Cheat’s Milk Tart Custard Slices with Cinnamon

Milk Tart Éclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel

Milk Tart Pancakes with Cinnamon Crumble

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