No-Bake Milk Tart

Slice of milk tart on a plate with a piece on a fork.

This easy, silky, smooth, homemade no-bake milk tart sits on a Tennis biscuit base, and is sweetened with condensed milk and topped off with cinnamon.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Chilling Time 3

servings12 slices

saltyginger.comMary-Lou

Equipment

9" round (23cm) Springform Pan (or a baking dish that will hold about 1.2-1.5L of liquid)

Ingredients

Biscuit Base

200 grams Tennis Biscuits (1 packet - crushed or processed)
100 grams butter (melted)

Milk Tart Filling

4 large eggs number 7
45 ml water
60 grams cornstarch
720 grams milk (whole/full-fat)
395 grams sweetened condensed milk (1 tin/14 oz.)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks (quills)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Biscuit Base Option 1

Line a glass dish (that can hold about 1.2-1.5L) with tennis biscuits and set it aside.
200 grams Tennis Biscuits

Biscuit Base Option 2

Take a piece of square baking paper about 2 inches or 5cm larger than a 23cm springform tin. Crinkle the paper into a ball and then place it over the base of the tin. Press the paper into the corners of the bottom of the base (you may need an extra pair of hands here), before clipping on the sides of the tin.
Finely processor crushes the tennis biscuits until about 80% of the biscuits have a sandy texture. Then mix in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the tin and press down tightly into the bottom, and up the sides (about 3cm or just over an inch). The sides don't need to be thicker than about 2-3mm. Place in the fridge for an hour.
200 grams Tennis Biscuits, 100 grams butter

Filling

Whisk together eggs and water until well combined. Then add in the cornstarch and whisk until well combined.
4 large eggs, 45 ml water, 60 grams cornstarch
Place the milk, condensed milk, vanilla and cinnamon sticks in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally to make sure the condensed milk has fully dissolved. Once the milk has come to a boil, turn down the heat to low and remove the cinnamon sticks.
720 grams milk, 395 grams sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon table salt
Rewhisk the egg mixture. Then slowly, while continuously whisking pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture. Whisk continuously while cooking the filling until it is thick, and the whisk is leaving a very distinct line in the filling. This will take between 5 and 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Allow the milk to cool for about 5 minutes whisking occasionally and then pour into the prepared biscuit base. If using loose biscuits, they may move around a bit during the process. Just use a fork to gently prod them back into place.
Cover the top of the filling with cling film or plastic wrap and allow it to cool until lukewarm at room temperature. Place in the fridge and allow to sit for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Gently remove the cling film and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Slice, serve and enjoy.
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

All temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. Decrease the temperature by 20°C/25°F or gas mark 1 for "fan" or air-fryers.

Video

Notes

The biscuits must be processed until you have a sand-like consistency in 80% of the biscuits. Trust me - I tried with a courser grind the biscuit base just does not support the filling.

The eggs must be beaten with water before you add the cornstarch. Adding the cornstarch any early can make it near impossible to mix the ingredients together (a little non-newtonian science fun?).

The filling must be cooked until it is thick but soft. The whisk should be leaving distinct indentations in the mixture before being added to the biscuit base. If it is not cooked enough it will not set.

This milk tart can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note on freezing - I have successfully frozen and defrosted this particular milk tart with little change to the consistency. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw the milk tart in the fridge (this can take up to 24 hours).

The original recipe contained 850 grams of milk, but I have retested it with 720 grams of milk to make the recipe more foolproof. So this recipe will work with 720 - 850 grams of milk. The choice is yours!

Nutrition