Kalakand recipe with step by step photos – this is a two ingredient quick and tasty kalakand (Indian milk cake) recipe in 15 minutes.
Kalakand is a rich milk cake. one of the popular Indian sweets. The traditional way of making kalakand sweet is a long one and takes some time. Milk is curdled a bit with the use of alum or curd and simmered on a low flame till it thickens considerably. There are other methods too of making kalakand.
This kalkand is a jhatpat (quick) recipe. Only two ingredients are required sweetened condensed milk and paneer or chenna. Stir for 15 minutes. Allow to set the kalakand for a couple of hours and you have the kalakand ready. Paneer can be made a night before and refrigerated. Thats what I did.
From the taste and texture you won’t come to know that the kalakand is made from condensed milk. The recipe gives a moist and granular textured kalakand.
I wanted to add kalakand recipe from a long time. During Diwali I had a small batch of kalakand but did not add the recipe. Some days back I made kalakand sweet again. This time I took pics so that I can add in the blog too.
In the kalakand, you can add dry fruits as well flavorings of your choice. I usually add cardamom powder and rose water. You can even add saffron or for a fusion kind, even vanilla extract will be good. The recipe yields about ½ kg kalakand.
How to make kalakand sweet or milk cake
1. Grate 250 to 300 grams paneer. You can also crumble the paneer. If the paneer is refrigerated, then I suggest to grate it. If using freshly made paneer or chenna, then you can crumble it. Crumble finely. There should be no chunks in the crumble. You should be able to get about 2 cups of tightly packed grated or crumbled paneer.
2. Take 1 tin/can (400 grams) of sweetened condensed milk in a thick bottomed pan or kadai. I used amul miThai mate.
3. Add the grated or crumbled paneer to the condensed milk.
4. Mix very well.
5. I did add some sugar as I felt the sweetness was less for us. I added 1 tbsp sugar. You can check the taste and add sugar accordingly.
6. Keep the flame on low or sim and cook this mixture of condensed milk and grated paneer.
7. Meanwhile grease a pan or a thali with some ghee or oil.
8. Stir the mixture often so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
9. The kalakand mixture will start thickening as it simmers and begins to cook.
10. When the mixture gets thickened well, switch off the flame. It took me 15 minutes on a low flame. Depending on the quality of your pan, pan thickness and size, flame intensity it may take 12 to 16 minutes. The mixture just need to get thickened well like you see in the below pic. The mixture should not look dry and some moisture should be there.
11. Remove the pan from the flame. Add ¾ tsp cardamom powder. Stir very well.
Setting kalakand
12. Now pour the kalakand mixture in the prepared pan/plate/thali.
13. Shake the pan so that the mixture spreads evenly. You can also level with a spoon or spatula. crush coarsely pistachios, saffron and cashews or almonds in a mortar-pestle. You can also slice the dry fruits.
14. Sprinkle coarsely crushed dry fruits or thinly sliced dry fruits all over the kalakand.
15. Gently press the dry fruits with a spoon. Cover and allow the kalakand to become warm or cool completely at room temperature. Cover with a foil or lid and then keep in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
16. The kalakand after keeping in the fridge.
17. Slice kalakand with a knife. in case if you cannot slice the kalakand, then don’t worry. You can just serve it with a spoon like a halwa. It still tastes delicious.
Serve kalakand as a sweet or as a dessert.
More sweets recipes
kalakand recipe
Ingredients
- 400 grams sweetened condensed milk or 1 tin or can
- 250 to 300 grams paneer or 2 cups tightly packed grated or crumbled paneer
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder (choti elaichi powder) or 6 to 7 green cardamoms - crushed in a mortar-pestle to a fine powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
- 10 to 12 pistachios (pista)
- 10 to 12 cashews or almonds (kaju or badam)
- 7 to 8 strands of saffron (kesar) - optional
Instructions
preparation for kalakand recipe
- Grease a pan or a thali with some ghee or oil.
- Crush coarsely pistachios, saffron and cashews or almonds in a mortar-pestle. You can also slice the dry fruits.
- Grate 250 to 300 grams paneer. You can also crumble the paneer. If the paneer is refrigerated, then I suggest to grate it. If freshly made, then you can crumble it. Crumble finely. There should be no chunks in the crumble.
making kalakand sweet
- Take 1 tin/can (400 grams) of sweetened condensed milk in a thick bottomed pan or kadai. I used amul mithai mate.
- Add the grated or crumbled paneer to the condensed milk. Mix very well.
- I did add some sugar as I felt the sweet taste was less for us. I added 1 tbsp sugar. You can check the taste and add accordingly.
- Keep the flame on low or sim and cook this mixture of condensed milk and grated paneer.
- Stir the mixture often so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- The kalakand mixture will start thickening as it simmers and begins to cook.
- When the mixture gets thickened well and looks like one mass, switch off the flame.
- It took me 15 minutes on a low flame. Depending on the quality of your pan, pan thickness and size, flame intensity it may take 12 to 16 minutes. The kalakand mixture should have some moisture and should look dry.
- Remove the pan from the flame. Add 3/4 tsp cardamom powder. Stir very well.
setting kalakand
- Now pour the kalakand mixture in the prepared pan (plate or thali).
- Shake the pan gently so that the mixture spreads evenly. You can also level with a spoon or spatula.
- Sprinkle coarsely crushed dry fruits all over the kalakand.
- Gently press the dry fruits with a spoon. Cover and allow the kalakand to become warm or cool completely at room temperature. Then keep in the fridge for a couple of hours for it to set.
- After it sets, slice the kalakand and serve. In case if you cannot slice the kalakand, then don't worry. You can just serve it with a spoon like a halwa. It still tastes delicious.
- Serve kalakand as a sweet or as a dessert.
Hi Dassana,
My kalakand is hard from top, how can I rectify it, please to make it soft.
sonia, looks like kalakand got cooked too much. just sprinkle or brush some hot milk from top and the kalakand will soften.
Hi Dassana,
First of all thanks to your step by step photo and explanation in every pic helps me a lot as i am not comfortable with video ones. The best thing about your recipe is your way of explaining. It helps a novice like me to understand what mistakes i can do and what are the tips to improve upon.
The kalakand came out very good and it did not crumble down. I am so happy 🙂
Happy diwali to you and your family and thanks for sharing the recipes!!!
Welcome Manisha. Thanks for your appreciation and kind words. Glad to know that you liked the kalakand recipe as well as its presentation. Wishing Happy Diwali to you and your family.
thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, Dassana. any suggestions on how do i make a mango-flavoured kalakand? that’s my favourite.
thanks anu. for mango flavored kalakand add some thick mango pulp after you add paneer. if the mango pulp is sweet, you can skip sugar. you can add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of thick mango pulp.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Could you please let me know that instead of heating the paneer-condensed milk mixture, can it be steamed by keeping in a pressure cooker?
swati, i have never tried this method. so i do not know if it will work or not.
Can we use frozen paneer in the recipe?
frozen paneer might become dense while cooking. in this recipe fresh paneer is better to use.
Its really easy n delicious recipe. I made it on Diwali n was very much appreciated at home. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Anupam
welcome anupam. thanks for sharing the feedback on kalakand recipe.
Hii…I wanna ask that can I curdle the milk in home and then make the paneer ??
yes you can do this way.
Dassana your recipes always come out so beautifully, even for someone like me who is clumsy in the kitchen! Here in the US, we Indian kids who were born here don’t always get to celebrate Diwali once we move away from our parents for school/work. Maybe we light sparklers or agarbathi, or eat store-bought mitthai, but we’re limited by insufficient cooking skills, or lack of access to Indian grocery stores, as well as by being away from family.
Your recipes make it so easy to prepare Diwali sweets. I made this and it came out so well. I’ll be sharing with my friends as well as mailing to my parents. They will be so happy that I can still celebrate Diwali properly. Thank you Dassanathai for making me less homesick during Diwali. 🙂
i can understand anjali as i have been in a similar situation some years back. i know how does it feel and i have been homesick too. i felt good reading your comment. food are memories and we all have special memories related to festival and food plays a major part in it. i am so glad that the kalakand recipe, made you feel at home. also nice to know that you will be sending it to your parents. they will definitely feel good. wish you a happy diwali.