I am always experimenting with the next breakout Indian fusion dessert. My Instagram followers and readers have loved so many of my baking experiments and I constantly want to innovate. At the beginning of summer this year I felt like I was running low on creative juices. I took some time to recharge my batteries and when I came back this Kalakand Cake was my first kitchen experiment. Kalakand Cake has been my boldest experiment to date, and it was a big success at the party I made it for.
This cake may sound intimidating, but it is super easy and fun to put together. With this Kalakand Cake recipe, you are essentially getting 2 recipes- a recipe for homemade Kalakand made with paneer and my basic saffron and cardamom cake recipe. The Cake recipe is the standard cake recipe that I have used for most of my Indian fusion cakes- Rasmalai Cake, and Gulab Jamun Cupcakes to name a few.
Definitely try this Kalakand Cake if you want to make something innovative for your next Indian gathering. With the upcoming festive season, Diwali party would be a great time to make it for your family and friends. It is sure going to impress them.
Ingredients used to make Kalakand Cake
Ingredients to make Kalakand
- 1 ¼ cups homemade crumbled paneer
- 1 can condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
Ingredients to make eggless sponge cake
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup White Sugar
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 1/3 cup any unflavored oil
- ½ cup plain yogurt (whisked)
- Cardamom powder from 3-4 cardamoms
- 4-5 strands of saffron (optional)
Decorations
- Silver Vark
- Chopped/ slivered pistachios almonds
Step-by-step method to make Kalakand Cake
Follow these steps to make the best version of this Kalakand Cake Recipe:
- Prepare an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan by greasing it well and covering the bottom with parchment paper.
- To make the kalakand, Add crumbled paneer and condensed milk to a wide nonstick pan.
- Mix well and cook it on medium-low heat stirring almost constantly. The mixture will loosen considerably at the beginning. It will start to thicken up after 10-12 minutes of cooking.
- Cook for 18-20 minutes till it starts to leave the sides of the pan.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well. It should change some color but don’t cook too long. Kalakand will cook further in the oven.
- Remove from flame and immediately pour the kalakand mix into the prepared cake pan. Use the back of a spoon or a butter knife to smoothen out the kalakand layer. Let it rest at room temperature while you work on the cake batter.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slightly warm the milk and add the saffron strands and let it rest till you prepare the other ingredients.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom powder and salt.
- Add milk, oil and yogurt to the dry ingredients. Mix till no dry patches remain, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan over the kalakand layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait for 10 minutes to cool before taking it out of the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Once the cake is completely cool, you can decorate with silver vark and nuts as desired. This cake will keep at room temperature (covered) for a day and in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Best served at room temperature.
Recipe tips to make this unique Indian fusion cake
Here are a few recipe tips for this Kalakand Cake Recipe:
- For this Kalakand Cake recipe, I have provided the recipe for Kalakand using home made paneer and the stove top method. You can also use my quick Microwave Ricotta Cheese Kalakand recipe that’s on the blog. The only change would be that you would only microwave the mixture for 15 minutes, following the recipe. Since the kalakand will cook further in the oven, we don’t want it to burn.
- This cake is very rich with a thick layer of kalakand and cake. This recipe can easily serve 22-24 people, just cut very thin slices.
- It is very important to grease the baking pan well and also line the bottom with parchment paper. This will ensure that the Kalakand layer will not stick to the bottom of the pan and the cake will release easily from the pan.
- Note that the baking time is a little higher than my normal baking time of 30-35 minutes. We have 2 layers of the kalakand and the cake and this takes longer to bake in the oven. You can take the cake out after 45 minutes to check with a toothpick. If it comes out wet, put it back in the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
FAQs- Kalakand Cake
Yes, like all my desserts, this Kalakand cake recipe is eggless (egg-free).
Kalakand itself is gluten-free but the cake layer in the recipe is made with regular all purpose flour. Although I have not tried it myself, I have heard about people getting good results with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. So try it and let me know!
I prefer home made paneer for the Kalakand recipe, but if you must use store bought paneer, you can. Grate the paneer block to measure it and use as instructed in the recipe.
Kalakand Cake tastes freshest the day you make it. You can refrigerate any leftovers (if you have any!) for 3 days but bring it to room temperature before serving.
Other eggless Indian fusion cakes to try
Recipe Card – Kalakand Cake
Kalakand Cake
Discover the magic of Kalakand Cake—a harmonious marriage of traditional Indian sweet Kalakand and the softness of sponge cake. This recipe brings together crumbled homemade paneer, condensed milk, and aromatic cardamom for the Kalakand layer. On top of that, a luscious sponge cake is created using a mix of All Purpose Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, milk, oil, yogurt, and the fragrant touch of cardamom and saffron. The result? A delectable treat that fuses two beloved desserts into one unforgettable experience.
24
servings20
minutes17
minutes45-50 mins
Ingredients
- Ingredients to make Kalakand
1 1/4 cups fresh crumbled paneer
1 can Condensed Milk (about 400 grams)
1/4 teaspoons Cardamom powder
- Ingredients to make Cake
1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Whole Milk
1/3 cup any unflavored oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (whisked)
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom powder
pinch of saffron strands (optional)
- Decorations
silver vark (optional)
slivered unsalted pistachios and/or almonds
Method
- Prepare an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan by greasing it well and covering the bottom with parchment paper.
- To make the kalakand, Add crumbled paneer and condensed milk to a wide non stick pan. Mix well and cook it on medium-low heat stirring almost constantly. The mixture will loosen considerably at the beginning. It will start to thicken up after 10-12 minutes of cooking. Cook for 18-20 minutes till it starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add cardamom powder and mix well. It should change some color but don’t cook too long. Kalakand will cook further in the oven.
- Remove from flame and immediately pour the kalakand mix in the prepared cake pan. Use a back of a spoon or a butter knife to smoothen out the kalakand layer. Let it rest at room temperature while you work on the cake batter.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Slightly warm the milk and add the saffron strands and let it rest till you prepare the other ingredients.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom powder and salt.
- Add milk, oil and yogurt to the dry ingredients. Mix till no dry patches remain, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter in the cake pan over the kalakand layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait for 10 minutes to cool before taking it out of the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Once the cake is completely cool, you can decorate with silver vark and nuts as desired. This cake will keep at room temperature (covered) for a day and in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Best served at room temperature.
Tips
- For this Kalakand Cake recipe, I have provided the recipe for Kalakand using home made paneer and the stove top method. You can also use my quick Microwave Ricotta Cheese Kalakand recipe that’s on the blog. The only change would be that you would only microwave the mixture for 15 minutes, following the recipe. Since the kalakand will cook further in the oven, we don’t want it to burn.
- This cake is very rich with a thick layer of kalakand and cake. This recipe can easily serve 22-24 people, just cut very thin slices.
- It is very important to grease the baking pan well and also line the bottom with parchment paper. This will ensure that the Kalakand layer will not stick to the bottom of the pan and the cake will release easily from the pan.
- Note that the baking time is a little higher than my normal baking time of 30-35 minutes. We have 2 layers of the kalakand and the cake and this takes longer to bake in the oven. You can take the cake out after 45 minutes to check with a toothpick. If it comes out wet, put it back in the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
