South African Culinary Heritage Collection
SA Recipes
Ref: SAR-0041
Printed 03 November 2026
Baking
Desserts
Kid-Friendly
Quick & Easy
Sweet
Hertzoggies
Recipe by
Christo Lochenberg
Published 14 November 2025
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Ingredients
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- For the Pastry:
- 250ml (1 cup) Cake flour
- Pinch of salt
- 125g cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg yolk
- 15-30ml (1-2 tbsp) Ice cold water
- For the Filling:
- Approximately 125ml (1/2 cup) Apricot jam
- For the Topping:
- 1 large egg white
- 60ml (4 tbsp) Castor sugar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) Desiccated coconut
- 5ml (1 tsp) Vanilla essence
About This Recipe
A classic South African tartlet with a shortcrust pastry base, a dollop of apricot jam, and topped with a sweet, light coconut meringue. Named after Prime Minister J.B.M. Hertzog, they are a delightful balance of textures and flavours.
Preparation Instructions
- Make the Pastry: Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of ice water. Add to the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms, adding more water if needed, one teaspoon at a time. Do not overwork. Form into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 12-hole tartlet pan or small muffin tin.
- Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thickness. Cut out circles using a round cutter slightly larger than your tartlet holes. Press the pastry circles gently into the prepared tin.
- Place a small teaspoon of apricot jam into the bottom of each pastry-lined hole.
- Make the Topping: In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg white until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the castor sugar, whisking until the meringue is glossy and firm. Gently fold in the desiccated coconut and vanilla essence.
- Spoon or pipe the coconut meringue topping over the jam in each tartlet, ensuring the jam is covered but not overflowing.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the meringue topping is lightly golden and set.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
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© 2026 SA Recipes · Recipe by Christo Lochenberg
Source: https://sarecipes.co.za/browse/recipe/hertzoggies · Developed by Christo Lochenberg
