Chocolate Kalakand

Chocolate Kalakand is a delectable chocolate-flavored milk cake that you can easily make at home this Diwali. With a very simple recipe, this chocolate kalakand is ready under 30 minutes. I have used homemade paneer in this recipe and cocoa powder to flavor the kalakand. The sweetener used is jaggery powder which makes this dessert a guilt-free affair. This chocolate Kalakand is a soft set burfi (fudge) and has a typical chewy texture. Did I tell you that this 6-ingredient, festive fudge is super addictive!

What is Kalakand?

Kalakand, a rich milk cake is a traditional and popular Indian dessert that is made out of solidified sweetened milk and cottage cheese(paneer). Traditionally Kalakand is made in a huge pan by boiling large amounts of milk, stirring continuously till it is thickened with sugar and dry fruits, which is quite cumbersome and time-consuming. 

Variations:

Kalakand can be easily made at home using very few ingredients and in comparatively less time. I have already shared my Instant Kalakand recipe earlier. It is an infallible tried and tested recipe which I make during every Diwali festival. I use homemade crumbled paneer, sugar, milk powder and reduced milk to make simple kalakand. It takes just 15 minutes or so to make this instant kalakand
.
This time I tried giving it a chocolaty twist and everyone in my family just loved it. I have used unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, you can use ready-made cooking chocolate also along with store-bought crumbled paneer to get that chocolaty flavor and save time. But i would recommend the use of fresh homemade paneer for best results. Now this chocolate kalakand is going to be on my Diwali menu every year for sure.

What goes into this Chocolate Kalakand?

• Paneer/ Cottage cheese - I have used homemade crumbled paneer in this recipe. I always prefer to make paneer and khoya at home as I really do not trust the store-bought milk products especially, during the festive season. There is so much adulteration that it is better to take precautions. However, you may use store-bought paneer to save time and energy but again fresh paneer gives the best results.
• Condensed milk: The next ingredient that goes into this kalakand is condensed milk. Again I have not used store-bought condensed milk, but use homemade reduced milk which is unsweetened. I just boiled half-liter full-fat milk without any sugar until it reduced to half.
• Milk powder: I have used Nestle brand milk powder. You may use any good brand. Milk powder helps the kalakand to bind well with the other ingredients.
• Jaggery powder: I have not used refined sugar in this recipe and the kalakand is sweetened using jaggery powder. You may grate or crush the jaggery finely if you cannot source it in powdered form.
• Cocoa powder: I have used unsweetened cocoa powder which gives the rich chocolaty flavor and colour to our kalakand. Make sure you use good quality cocoa powder which is not too old for best results.
• Pistachio Slivers: I have garnished my chocolate kalakand using just slivered pistachio. You may use any dry fruit like almond or cashew for garnishing. You may also use little cardamom powder to flavor the kalakand if you wish too. I have not used any.

Recipe Swap Challenge:

Chocolate kalakand was on my to-do-list since last 2 years when i made Chocolate Modak but somehow it kept postponing. It was only a couple of days back when i saw chocolate kalakand recipe on one of my blogger friend, Kalyani's blog, i made up my mind to make it this festive season. I have a few recipes bookmarked from her blog, sizzlingtastebuds. Do visit her space for some quick healthy dishes, mostly vegan and some traditional South Indian recipes. This chocolate kalakand is submitted to the Facebook group, Recipe Swap Challenge where i participate in a challenge every alternate month. Here paired bloggers visit each other's blog and bookmark recipes they like and wish to try out. any one dish is recreated with and published on their blogs with due credits given to the author. This is my 9th share on this group. Kalyani is my partner for this month and i chose her chocolate kalakand recipe to try out for this challenge. She had used cooking chocolate in her recipe, i used unsweetened cocoa powder instead and replaced sugar with jaggery to make it all the more guilt-free. So without any further ado, let's get started.

                                      

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 9 fudge pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cottage cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup jaggery powder
• 1/2 cup milk powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-3 tablespoon slivered pistachio for garnishing

Method:

1. In a thick bottom wok take the crumbled paneer, unsweetened condensed milk, milk powder and jaggery powder. Mix all the ingredients and heat the wok on medium flame.

2. Keep stirring and cooking the mixture on low to medium flame for 10-15 minutes. Gradually the kalakand mixture will thicken and begin to form a semi solid mass.

3. When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and becomes crumbly, add cocoa powder and mix well. Cook the mixture for another 1 minute and put off the flame.

4. Immediately transfer the chocolate kalakand mixture to a ghee greased tray or plate. I have lined a tray with parchment paper and greased it. Spread the mix evenly on the tray in a thick even layer. Garnish it with pistachio slivers.

5. Cover the tray and allow the kalakand to set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Cut the kalakand into desired shape and serve !

6. Enjoy the delicious chocolate kalakand with your loved ones !

Recipe Notes:

• You may use store bought paneer to make this kalakand but i would recommend using fresh homemade paneer for best results.
• Use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder . Old cocoa powder will not give the desired colour and taste to the kalakand.
• Do not over cook the kalakand mixture as it may turn hard on doing so.
• You may adjust the quantity of jaggery powder as per your liking.
• If using store bought sweetened condensed milk, reduce the amount of jaggery powder.
• You may use slivered almonds or any other nut of your choice for garnishing.
• Chocolate kalakand stays good at room temperature for 1 day and up to 3-4 days on refrigeration in an air tight container.

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below. Follow us on #Facebook, #Instagram, #Twitter, #Pinterest and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

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