Foolproof Milk Tart

Recipes for milk tart are hotly debated. To bake or not to bake the filling? We like this version where the filling is cooked on the stove and set in the fridge because it guarantees the perfect wobble and melt-in-the-mouth consistency you’re after.

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients

For the pastry:

½ cup (125g) butter

½ cup (125g) sugar

1 extra-large egg

2 cups (300g) flour

1 tsp (5ml) Moir’s baking powder

Pinch of salt

For the filling: 

2 ½ cups (625ml) milk

1 Robertsons cinnamon stick

1 extra-large egg, beaten

½ cup (125ml) sugar

2 Tbsp (30ml) flour

2 Tbsp (30ml) Maizena cornflour

1 tsp (5ml) Moir’s vanilla essence

1 Tbsp (15ml) butter

Robertsons ground cinnamon, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Make the pastry: cream butter and sugar together until just combined. Add the egg and beat well.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until it just comes together to form a stiff dough (don’t overmix as it will toughen the dough).
4. Roll the dough out evenly and line a 22cm tart tin.
5. Blind bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crispy.
6. For the filling: Place milk and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and heat to just below boiling. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, flour, cornflour, and vanilla.
8. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
9. Remove the cinnamon stick and then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until thickened.
10. Add the butter and stir through.
11. Pour mixture into the baked pastry shell and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
12. Allow cooling completely at room temperature before storing in the fridge.