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This is a typical South African Coconut tart or “Klappertert” – the type of tart you find at bake sales and served with tea on a Sunday afternoon when visiting friends or family. Typically, South African recipes call for unsweetened, shredded or desiccated coconut. A fine or medium shred works well for this recipe.

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST:
1 cup / 250g plain flour
Pinch of salt
Butter, 110g / 1/2 cup, cubed
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
Iced water

FOR THE FILLING:
Desiccated coconut 500 g / 2 cups
Sugar 250g / 1 cup
Butter 30g / 2 tablespoons
Water 250 ml / 1 cup
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, separated
Vanilla essence, 3/4 teaspoon
Almond essence, 1/4 teaspoon
Apricot jam (preferably smooth), 4 tablespoons

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 360 F
In a small saucepan, gently simmer together the coconut, sugar, water, butter and salt for about 15 minutes
In a mixing bowl, using either your fingers or a food processor, rub the cubes of butter into the flour and salt mix
The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs
Stir in the lightly beaten egg yolk and iced water and mix until the dough comes together to form a ball
If mixture is too crumbly to come together in a ball, add iced water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing between each addition
Knead mixture lightly with your hands until it comes together
Press into a 20cm / 8″ tart pan
Spread the apricot jam over the base of the tart crust
Place in the freezer until ready to use
When the coconut mix has cooked for 15 minutes, remove from the heat
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes
Stir in the lightly beaten egg yolks, vanilla essence and almond essence
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into the coconut mix
Spoon the filling into the pie crust
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the coconut filling has set in the centre and is turning golden brown
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche
Enjoy!