Kalakand/ Indian Milk Cake (Edit recipe)

Kalakand (also sometimes called Milk Cake) is a popular Indian milk-based sweet that is typically enjoyed during festivals. But I have never really needed a festival to make this, and I swear I can eat this entire tray in one sitting. It is that good! You only need a handful of ingredients - milk, sugar and a few flavorings. What gives Kalakand its grainy texture is the addition of whey curds (similar to ricotta) that you get on boiling curdled milk and discarding the whey. That is what will make this sweet creamy, rich and Oh! very addictive. This recipe is grain-free, gluten-free and egg-free.

5 minutes

1 hour

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	664
Fat:	36 g
Carbohydrates:	56 g
Protein:	32 g
Cholesterol:	149 g
Sodium:	480 mg
Fiber:	0 g
Sugars:	52 g
Calculated for total recipe.

by Priyanka Nadkarni

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

To curdle the milk

0.25 gallon Milk
1 Tbsp distilled White Vinegar

For Kalakand

0.75 gallon Milk
0.25 cup Grain-free Powdered Sugar, adjust to taste
1 tsp Ground Cardamom
0.25 tsp Saffron, dissolved in 1 tbsp warm milk
1 Tbsp Ghee
0.25 cup raw Pistachios, chopped, for garnish

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Process

Cook Mode

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

To curdle the milk:

Heat milk (1/4 gallon) over a medium high heat and cook until the milk reaches 190ºF, stirring every few minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the White vinegar. Let sit without stirring for 1 minute. You will notice the milk starting to curdle and separate into curds and whey.
Gently stir again and turn off the heat. Let it sit again without stirring for 10 mins.
Set a pot and line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth. If you have a fine mesh strainer, you can also skip the cheesecloth.
Rest the colander over the pot and pour over the curdled milk into it. Allow the whey to strain into the pot, so that you are left with just the whey curds.
If using cheesecloth, tie a knot using opposite ends and allow it to drain for a few minutes. If using a strainer, ensure all the liquid has drained out and you are left with only the curds.

For the Kalakand:

While you are making the curdled milk, simultaneously heat rest of the milk (3/4 gallon) over medium high heat in a wide bottomed pan. Cook until reduced to half, stirring frequently.
Once milk is reduced, add the cheese curds and continue cooking the mixture on low-medium heat until slightly thickened (about 15 mins).
Add Ghee and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Add powdered sugar, ground cardamom and saffron dissolved in milk. Give it a good stir.
Cook for another 5-7mins until the mixture has thickened (but not dry), stirring frequently. In the meantime, grease a baking tray with ghee.
Spread the mixture into the greased baking tray in one thick layer. Level using a spatula if needed.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and gently press using the back of a spoon. Allow it to cool before setting in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
When chilled, cut it into squares and enjoy!

Notes

While this above recipe is how Kalakand is traditionally made, it is a labor of love and a bit time consuming. So here are two shortcuts to make it quicker. 1. Skip making the whey curds at home and use store-bought paneer instead. Just crumble it finely (there should be no big chunks). Store-bought Ricotta cheese is creamy and lacks the grainy texture so I wouldn't recommend it. I haven't tried using store-bought Cottage cheese (smaller curds) but if you try, let me know in comments. 2. Use sweetened condensed milk instead of boiling/reducing the milk to half & then adding sugar.