Kalakand is creamy and delicious mouth watering milk cake or Indian cheesecake with a soft and grainy texture that is a perfect treat for any special occasion. This is one of the easiest sweet recipes to prepare and requires only two main ingredients everything else is optional and can be varied as per your liking.
This sweet is very popular in India, and you can’t get enough of it. It is mainly prepared during festivals like Navratri, Diwali, Holi, and other special occasions. With so many festivals around the corner, this dessert would be the best opportunity to show all your culinary skills.
Post pregnancy, I have been addicted to sweets so much that, dinner or lunch is incomplete without sweet or dessert for me. Is it the same with you guys? If yes, what are your favorite sweet recipes? I would love to know so that even I can try it 🙂
With an addiction to sweets, I end up preparing it at home every other day because homemade ones are always fresh and you can have control over all the ingredients you add.
OK now back to KALAKAND…
The traditional method of making kalakand takes a very long time. The milk is simmered on low heat till it is reduced to semi-solids. With my love for condensed milk, I end up using it in most of my sweet recipes, and it works the best for most of my dessert recipes like carrot halwa, basundi and acts as a shortcut without any compromise in the taste 🙂
The two main ingredients that are required are paneer or chenna (curdled milk) and sweetened condensed milk. I have made paneer from scratch as we love fresh paneer. If you are using store bought paneer then this dessert can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. Make sure that the paneer you use is soft and fresh. You have to wait a couple of hours for it to set. You can also try using ricotta cheese.
The other ingredients that I have used cardamom powder and saffron threads are for additional flavorings and roasted dry fruits for crunchiness. Make sure the pan or plate you use is slightly deep because this dessert, like fudge, is served as thick slices and not like a burfi (thin slices).
Detailed Recipe to make Kalakand
Kalakand is creamy and delicious mouth watering milk cake or Indian cheesecake with a soft and grainy texture that is a perfect treat for any special occasion. This is one of the easiest Indian sweet recipes to prepare and requires only two main ingredients everything else is optional and can be varied as per your liking.
- 1 gallon Whole milk
- 1/4 cup Lemon juice
- Salt, a pinch
- 1 can Sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
- 5 to 6 strands Saffron
- 2 tbsp Pistachios, roasted and crushed
- 2 tbsp Cashews, roasted and crushed
- 2 tbsp Almond, roasted and crushed
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Keep milk on medium heat and bring it to slow boil. Once the milk boils, switch off the flame.
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Add lemon juice little by little and slowly stir till the milk curdles. Do not add everything at once because the amount you require may vary.
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If the milk does not curdle or separate, then add an additional 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice. Let this stand for about 2 to 4 minutes.
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Place cheesecloth in a colander and strain the paneer-whey mixture through the cheesecloth. You can now rinse with cold water to remove the lemon flavor.
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Tie the cheesecloth with a knot and then hang it to your kitchen faucet for about 15 minutes to let all the whey drain through it.
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Open the knot, and season the paneer with salt and knead it. Paneer is ready to be used for kalakand.
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In a thick bottomed pan or kadai, add condensed milk and the crumbled paneer prepared above and mix well. Check the sweetness now. If you like it to be sweeter, add sugar at this point.
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Keep the flame on medium to medium-low and stir this mixture often so that it does not get stick to the bottom of the pan.
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The mixture thickens and starts leaving sides of the pan and forms like a mass. At this point add cardamom powder and saffron strands and mix well. Switch off the flame. See that the mixture is moist and not dry.
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Transfer the kalakand mixture to the greased pan or plate.
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Tap the pan so that the mixture spreads evenly. You can also use a spoon or spatula to make sure it spreads evenly.
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Sprinkle the crushed dry fruits and gently press with a spoon. Allow it to cool at room temperature and keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours as this sweet tastes the best when served chilled.
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Kalakand is ready. Slice and Serve as desired. Enjoy!
- If you are not able to slice kalakand, don't worry. You can eat this like halwa, with a spoon 🙂 It tastes great anyway.
- The time it takes for the mixture to thicken may vary on the thickness of the pan and the flame at which you simmer.Â
- Kalakand stays fresh for 5 to 7 days when refrigerated.Â
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This cake looks so delicious, my mouth is watering while reading this recipe, I will have to give it a try, thanks for sharing!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
I love learning about new desserts! This recipe was totally new to me, actually I could not guess what sort of dish it was just from the name. I was positively surprised to see it was a dessert, as I love a good piece of cake!!
Yummm this looks like such a unique and tasty cheesecake. I’ve never tried this before but I really want to. YUM.
I’ve never tried this but it looks so good! I’m definitely going to try this soon x
That looks so tasty! And I love the flavors you chose, cardamom, saffron and pistachios is a magic combination!
A cheesecake made from paneer cheese! I LOVE the idea and I am sure it tastes superb as all Indian sweets tend to!I would top mine with lots of pistachios, just like you did!
A cheesecake made from paneer cheese! I LOVE the idea and I am sure it tastes superb as all Indian sweets tend to!I would top mine with lots of pistachios, just like you did!
wow! I never came across this in my travels to India! this looks amazing and love that its made from panner!
This is so interesting and delicious. I love no bake desserts and will make this soon. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks incredibly soft and moist. I have a few cans of condensed milk that I need to use up this month before they expire and I bet the family will love trying this recipe!
I love anything with pistachios. I miss all my Indian treats after living in Dubai for several years. This looks like a great and simple recipe in my numerous moments of nostalgia and also to serve for tea time.
I adore cheesecake. It is easily one of my favorite desserts and I love the sound of this one. It’s such a beautiful twist from the ones I’m used to. I cannot wait to make this. Pinning for the holidays 🙂
I’ve never heard of Kalakand, but I love cheesecake. I absolutely love that you topped it with all those nuts…and condensed milk!! This looks really good
These look wonderful. I love the look of that nut topping and the texture inside looks really special.
All I had to see were pistachios and I was sold! I would love to try this!
I have never heard of this dessert but the flavour combos in here look amazing! Those nut toppings look so good!
kalakand is my favourite dessert. i love the its soft milky texture. the original recipe takes time to prepare. this one looks quick n delicious. will try surely
You said cheesecake? Sign me in 🙂 It looks fantastic. I’m such a fan of cheesecakes and I love trying new exotic flavors and combos. I’ll be making this very soon.
I’ve been including the kids more in the kitchen during quarantine. They are helping to decide what to make and helping to make it. I find they will try new things if they help make it. This was such a fun recipe project to make. The kids LOVED the cake! This is going into our rotation!
I’d probably be so addicted with these as well because of all the nuts and cardamom spice!
Such a perfectly sweet and light dessert! Served this for dessert last night and it was a hit all around the table!
Wow! I’ve never heard of this but I’m all about creamy cheeseckaes so that sounds right up my alley!
A creamy texture with all the nuts on top. looks absolutely delicious.
We have made this several times and fall in love with it more each time! So cheesy and so good!! The perfect dessert!
I’ve never heard of this before but it looks and sounds like a wonderful cake! I would love to try it!
This treat looks so pretty and taste equally amazing. I love the pistachios and the cardamom. This is an instant favorite for our family.
We made this over the weekend and it turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
This bought back so many childhood memories! Love this Indian dessert
I’ve never had or heard of Kalakand before. I’m excited to try this recipe which looks delicious. I especially love that you have used sweetened condensed milk as a shortcut! Same delicious flavor in a shorter amount of time is always a win!
I love discovering new recipes and your kalakand is a dessert I’v e never heard of. I can’t wait to try out your recipe in my kitchen and amaze my family with this deliciousness!
I love discovering delicious new treats! I have never tried this cake but it looks so tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Look at those yummy crunchy toppings! This cake looks so silky. I going to have to try this recipe!
Never heard of this before, but it looks really delicious! I am really excited to try it out this weekend.
I’m so intrigued by this dessert! I just love to try popular desserts from other parts of the world. This looks wonderful!
I love me some cheese cake, but I’ve never seen this version! Very intriguing! Will definitely give this a try! It looks awesome!
This is such a simple dessert but has such wonderful flavors, I love the cardamon and different types of nuts, so delicious!
As a New Yorker, I’m a huge fan of cheesecake. I can’t wait to make this kalakand for my family this weekend.
Definitely giving this recipe a 5 stars ratings. It’s delicious and a really makes mouthwatering recipe. Love it!
This dessert looks fantastic! I have never tried it before but I really want to after reading your recipe.
Homemade paneer sounds very similar to how we make ricotta here in Italy! I’d love to try making some so that I can try this kalakand. It looks really good!
I love the creamy inside with the crunchy outside of this sweet. And those green pops of color from the pistachios look so good.
Love all the pistachios on top! Looks deliciously good and a must try for sure!
I love kalakand to the cores and always make it for any festival as it is one of the easiest to make. You have made it so beautiful, love the wonderful texture.
I have never tried kalakand but it looks so good! I can’t wait to make this recipe. The nuts on the top make it look so pretty too!