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–+ servings

Milk Cake

375kcal
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Prep 5 minutes
Cook 1 hour 30 minutes
Total 1 hour 35 minutes
Milk Cake is a rich, caramelized Indian milk fudge made by slowly reducing milk, lightly curdling it, and cooking it with sugar until dense and sliceable. This traditional North Indian dessert has a signature grainy texture and deep flavor that makes it well worth the effort.
Servings 6 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

  • 10 cups Whole Milk 1/2 gallon = 8 cups
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 4 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
  • Pinch Saffron optional

Method

Prepare the Cardamom Powder
  1. Crush the pods in a mortar and pestle to release the seeds. Use only the crushed seeds and discard the skins.
    2. Freshly ground cardamom has a much stronger aroma than store-bought powder.
    The discarded cardamom skins can be added to your next cup of masala chai for extra flavor.
Boil the Milk
  1. Bring the milk to a boil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot to prevent burning. This may take about 15 minutes.
    Milk Cake
    2. Watch carefully to prevent the milk from boiling over.
Reduce and Thicken
  1. Reduce heat to medium. Stir regularly to prevent the milk from sticking or burning at the bottom. Continue until the milk reduces to about 1/3 of its original volume, scraping the sides to incorporate any milk solids. This can take 30-45 minutes.
    Thickened milk
    2. As the milk thickens, stir more frequently to avoid scorching.
Add Lemon Juice to Curdle the Milk
  1. Dilute lemon juice with 2 tbsp water. Reduce heat to low and stir it into the milk. Stop stirring and let it stand for 30 seconds. The milk will curdle slightly, forming tiny grains of the milk solids.
    Curdling thickened milk
Incorporate Sugar and Cook Further
  1. Increase heat to medium. Add sugar and stir continuously, scraping the bottom to prevent sticking. The mixture will thicken further, caramelize, and take on a pudding-like consistency. Reduce heat to low.
    Adding sugar to thickened milk
    2. Sugar increases stickiness. From this point on you need to keep stirring the pot continuously to prevent scorching.
Add Flavorings
  1. Stir in cardamom powder and saffron until fully incorporated.
    Saffron and cardamom added to thickened sweetened milk
Check Consistency
  1. Once the mixture moves as a single unit when stirred and no longer sticks to the bottom, remove from heat.
    Milk Cake is at desired consistency
Set the Milk Cake
  1. Grease a vessel with ghee or unsalted butter.
    Greased pan
  2. Pour the milk cake mixture in, level it, and press down with a spatula to compact it.
  3. Let it cool completely at room temperature; it will continue to caramelize as it sets.
Unmold and Serve
  1. To release the cake, run a knife along the edges, place the vessel on low heat for 6–8 seconds, then invert onto a plate. Tap gently if needed.
  2. This recipe yields about 1.5 pounds of milk cake.
    Milk Cake on Ozeri Scale
    3. Adjust the quantity of milk as desired and the quantity of sugar accordingly. This is a time consuming recipe, so I prefer to make a larger batch with a gallon of milk at a time.

Nutrition

Calories375kcalCarbohydrates53gProtein13gFat13gSaturated Fat8gPolyunsaturated Fat0.4gMonounsaturated Fat3gCholesterol49mgSodium155mgPotassium623mgFiber0.1gSugar53gVitamin A659IUVitamin C4mgCalcium502mgIron0.05mg

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