How to make Kalakand

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Kalakand, also known as milk cake, is a popular Indian dessert. Kalakand is a type of barfi (milk-fudge) which is a dense milk-based Indian sweet that has a soft, grainy, and melt in the mouth texture. It has a nutty floral aroma laced with cardamom and saffron and dressed up in bright almonds, green pistachios, this exotic mithai always stands out amongst the finest of Indian dessert spreads.

I still remember when my Dad used to bring fresh Kalakand from the local halwai (sweet shop) for festivals specially during Diwali. Ever since I moved to the USA, I have missed having fresh Kalakand. I have always wanted to find the perfect recipe to make this mildly sweet and moist barfi at home. The texture and taste of this homemade recipe are very similar to the one you get in the mithai shops and is very easy to make as well.

So this was made because I had a lot of whole milk in my fridge and every time I have excess milk, I tend to make fresh paneer or Indian sweets/desserts like Sabudana Kheer, Rice Kheer. There’s also a quicker version of kalakand which is made using milk powder and condensed milk, maybe I’ll try it out the next time.

What is Kalakand?

Kalakand is made from coagulated full-fat milk and sugar. The milk is curdled to get Indian cottage cheese (paneer) and mixed with sugar. This mixture is then cooked on medium heat till all the moisture evaporates and it attains a moist and grainy-crumbly consistency.

Kalakand is yet another Indian sweet which is made using milk. It basically has only 2 ingredients – milk and sugar, everything else is optional. This Indian sweet is flavored with cardamom powder that adds a subtle flavor to the sweet. Kalakand is widely sold in Indian sweet shops. This is because it is one of the most sought after dishes.

How to make Kalakand?

Homemade everything is better because we know what goes in them. We can’t be sure of the ingredients with the store-bought stuff. So try this easy and simple recipe of kalakand and I promise that you’ll never buy this from the sweet shops again.

For many people, it is still very hard to believe that making kalakand at home is super easy and fuss-free. Hence, in many Indian households, people only buy kalakand from their favorite mithai shop.

To make Kalakand at home, reduce the whole milk until it turns thick like condensed milk then add some lemon juice so that the milk gets disintegrated like we do while making paneer. When you start seeing small granules of milk solids add sugar and cardamom powder for taste. Keep cooking till it turns thick and semi-solid consistency. That’s it, it is done just transfer it into the plate or tray to set and just cut into pieces and serve.

This dessert requires some muscle work to come together. So make it when you have some time at hand and energy to stand by the stove and stir the mixture until it cooks to the desired consistency. I usually make this when I am making lunch or dinner and parallely I keep simmering milk to reduced. That way I don’t have to stand for long just for making one recipe.

The whole process takes about 45 minutes so be a little patient. The end result will be amazing and tastes much much better than using paneer or cheese or milk powder. So, step in your kitchen, put your apron on, and try out this delicious kalakand recipe today to overindulge. Because there is no wrong time to do the right thing.

Do try other dessert recipes :

Preparation Time: 2 mins ∏ Cooking Time: 40 mins ∏ Servings: 15-17

Level: Beginners (Easy) ∏ Measurement: 1 Cup ≡ 250 ml ≡ 250gm

Ingredients Checklist:

Step1: Boil 3 liter of the milk in a heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat. Cook until milk remains 1/3 in quantity. Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily at the bottom of the pan.

Step2: When the milk remains 1/3^,reduce the flame. To make the milk grainy, add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice into it and mix well. Let it sit for around 1 minute. Keep the flame low. After around 1 minute stir the milk and keep it cooking on low flame until the milk gets a thicker consistency.

Step3: When the milk gets thick and grainy in texture, add sugar, and keep stirring constantly.

Step4: Cook until the milk gets really thick consistency. Keep stirring continuously.

Step5: When the milk gets thick consistency, the color gets brown in color and nutty aroma. Now add 1/2 teaspoon green cardamom into the mixture and mix well.

Step6: The mixture is almost ready, reduce the flame and stir constantly. Add 2 teaspoons of ghee and mix well.

Step7: Continue to cook and stirring until the mixture becomes soft lump and start leaving the pan from the sides.

Step8: Spread some ghee on a plate/tray (or line it with a baking sheet), Pour the mixture into the greased tray.

Step9: Using a spatula or spoon spread it evenly keeping ½ to 1 inch of height. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

Step10: Once the Kalakand has cooled completely, then slice it into squares or diamond shapes. Garnish it with the chopped almonds or pistachios and press to fix them. Serve Kalakand or store in an airtight container for a week in the refrigerator.

Step11: The fresh Kalakand or Milk Cake is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Tips:

Use a heavy bottom pan for boiling milk. Also Keep stirring milk regularly to avoid sticking it to the bottom of the pan.
I have greased my tray with ghee here. Alternatively, you can line your tray with the parchment paper. This way it would be easier to lift the paper and then cut the sweet dish into squares.
To make kalakand creamier you can replace sugar with the same amount of sweetened condensed milk.
You can also decorate with rose petals if you’d like.