Milk tart tiramisu recipe: A South African twist on a classic dessert - IOL

This milk tart tiramisu recipe combines the familiar taste of milk tart with a classic dessert.

Milk tart and tiramisu might not be the pairing you expect on the dessert table, but the combination makes sense.

Both rely on creamy layers and biscuits, with cinnamon giving this version its unmistakably South African character.

This milk tart tiramisu recipe swaps the coffee and cocoa of traditional tiramisu for a homemade milk tart custard, mascarpone and cinnamon.

It is assembled ahead of time and left to chill, making it a useful dessert when you want something that can be prepared before guests arrive.

1. Add the milk, sugar and vanilla essence to a saucepan and heat gently until warm.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Mix the cake flour and cornflour with a little cold water or milk until smooth.

3. Add the beaten egg to the warmed milk while whisking. Add the flour and cornflour mixture, followed by the cinnamon and salt.

4. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the custard has thickened and is smooth.

5. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap and allow it to cool completely.

6. Add the mascarpone to a large bowl and mix briefly until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the cooled custard until smooth. Add the custard to the mascarpone and whisk until combined.

7. Pour the cold milk into a shallow bowl. Dip each Boudoir biscuit briefly into the milk.

8. Arrange a layer of dipped biscuits in your serving dish. Spoon over a generous layer of the milk tart mascarpone cream.

9. Repeat with another layer of dipped biscuits and finish with the remaining cream.

10. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

11. Dust generously with cinnamon powder just before serving.

The biscuits need enough milk to soften, but they should not be left sitting in it.

Over-soaked Boudoir biscuits can make the finished dessert watery and difficult to serve neatly.

Dip each biscuit just before layering it. The chilling time will allow the biscuits to soften further as they absorb moisture from the creamy filling.

Traditional and South African-style tiramisu recipes use the same basic approach, with the biscuits softened briefly before being layered with mascarpone-based filling.

Soaking the Boudoir biscuits for too long can make the dish watery.