Melktert
Also known as: Milk tart
A Cape Dutch milk tart with a pastry shell holding a creamy milk-and-egg custard dusted with cinnamon. Lighter and milkier than a typical custard tart, it is a much-loved South African dessert.
Type
Dessert
Key Ingredients
Milk, Eggs, Sugar
Eaten With
Coffee, Rooibos tea
Typical Price
$2 to 5 per slice
Melktert, literally milk tart in Afrikaans, is a gentle, comforting South African dessert built around a wobbly milk custard set in a thin pastry shell. What sets it apart from a standard custard tart is the ratio: melktert uses far more milk and proportionally less egg, thickened with flour or cornflour, so the filling is paler, softer, and milkier, with a delicate set rather than a firm one. The custard is poured into a base of either shortcrust or a lighter sponge-like pastry, baked or sometimes simply chilled to set, and finished with a generous dusting of ground cinnamon across the top. The flavour is mild and creamy, faintly sweet, and very milk-forward, with the warm cinnamon providing the main aromatic lift. It is the kind of dessert that is easy to eat a large slice of, neither rich nor heavy, and it is usually served cold or at room temperature in neat wedges.
The tart traces back to Cape Dutch kitchens, where Dutch settlers adapted European custard tarts using the ingredients to hand at the Cape, and it has been a household staple for generations. It is so embedded in South African life that National Melktert Day is marked each year, and it appears everywhere from supermarket bakeries and farm stalls to family tables and church teas. Recipes vary between a crustless, baked version, a pastry-cased baked tart, and a no-bake chilled style, and cooks debate whether the cinnamon should be a light dusting or a bold spiral pattern on top. It is typically served as an afternoon treat with coffee or rooibos tea as much as a dessert after a meal. For visitors, melktert is one of the easiest South African sweets to find and to like: unfussy, mild, and quietly nostalgic, it offers a soft, cinnamon-scented contrast to richer treats like koeksisters or malva pudding.
How It's Eaten
Served cold or at room temperature in slices, eaten with a fork or by hand. It is enjoyed as an afternoon treat with coffee or rooibos tea as well as a light dessert after a meal, and the cinnamon-dusted top is part of its appeal.
Cultural Context
Melktert is a Cape Dutch classic and one of South Africa's most nostalgic home bakes, so popular that National Melktert Day is celebrated each year. It features at family gatherings, church teas, and farm stalls, and most families have a favourite version, whether baked in a crust, crustless, or chilled and no-bake.
Variations
Baked melktert
The custard is poured into a pastry shell and baked until just set, then dusted with cinnamon.
No-bake melktert
A chilled version where the cooked custard is set in a biscuit or pastry base in the fridge rather than the oven.
Crustless melktert
A pastry-free version where the milky custard forms its own light skin as it bakes, sliced and dusted with cinnamon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is melktert?
Melktert, or milk tart, is a South African dessert of Cape Dutch origin made of a pastry shell filled with a creamy milk-and-egg custard and dusted with cinnamon. It is milkier and lighter than a typical custard tart and is usually served cold.
What is the difference between melktert and custard tart?
Melktert uses much more milk and less egg than a standard custard tart, thickened with flour or cornflour, so the filling is paler, softer, and milkier with a delicate set. It is also always finished with a dusting of cinnamon.
What does melktert taste like?
It tastes mild, creamy, and gently sweet, dominated by the flavour of milk, with warm cinnamon on top providing the main aroma. It is light rather than rich, so it is easy to eat a generous slice.
Is melktert vegetarian?
Yes. Melktert is made from milk, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, and pastry, with cinnamon on top, and contains no meat, so it is suitable for vegetarians.
How is melktert served?
It is served cold or at room temperature in slices, often as an afternoon treat with coffee or rooibos tea, or as a light dessert after a meal.