Milk cake is one of my favourite Indian desserts. Its amazing quality is that it has a simple flavour of just 1 ingredient that is cooked into it, bringing out the caramel notes. A simple barfi made with caramelising milk curds with sugar that has been taken to another level with the addition of this raspberry flavour. Try out this recipe and let us know what flavour you made.
The origin of milk cake can be owed to Baba Thakur Dasji, a halwai from a small village in Pakistan, who came to India after the partition and popularised the milk cake. It is also known as dhoda barfi or palangtor. Milk cake is an Indian dessert, which is primarily made of 2 ingredients- milk and sugar. The whole dessert is cooked inside 1 pot by heating whole milk and reducing it to a half its quantity, making it thick and creamy. This milk is then curdled using lemon juice or alum and sugar is incorporated into the milk curds. The hot milk is cooled inside a loaf pan and then cut into cuboidal pieces, hence the name milk cake. It can be garnished with any kind of crushed nuts.
We all know and have tried the milk cake at our nearest mithaiwala. It's a dessert, which everyone unanimously agrees is made best by their local halwai. But have you ever found someone who makes their milk cakes themselves? Well, this recipe gives you an opportunity to do exactly that. With this you can not only make it at home, but do it according to your own version as you are free to use any flavouring you desire.
1) In a ceramic sauteuse, add whole milk and heat it on low heat while constantly stirring. Keep on reducing the milk till it reduces to half
2) To the reduced milk add lemon juice, while simultaneously stirring it so that it forms small and even curds.
3) Once the milk is evenly curdled and thick, add in the granulated sugar in three parts. Add the next part once the first is completely stirred and dissolved.
4) Once all the sugar is dissolved, add desi ghee in 2 parts and stir to combine it.
5) Keep on stirring the mixture till it leaves the sides of the pan and the milk curds have caramelised.
6) At this stage add the homemade raspberry puree to the caramelised milk or any other choice of flavouring.
7) Transfer the milk mixture into a Meyer Nonstick loaf tin to cool down. Wrap it up in a cloth and cover for 30 minutes.
8) After the mixture is cooled, turn it out from the loaf pan and slice it into rectangular pieces. Coat the milk cake into crushed pista and serve.
Expert Tips
While stirring the milk if a skin forms, keep on scraping and stirring it into the milk mixture.
Lemon juice is used as a replacement, if you want you can add 2 grams of alum instead of lemon juice.
The amount of raspberry puree can be increased or decreased depending on your liking.
In a ceramic sauteuse, add whole milk and heat it on low heat while constantly stirring. Keep on reducing the milk till it reduces to half.
To the reduced milk add lemon juice, while simultaneously stirring it so that it forms small and even curds.
Once the milk is evenly curdled and thick, add in the granulated sugar in three parts. Add the next part once the first is completely stirred and dissolved.
Once all the sugar is dissolved, add desi ghee in 2 parts and stir to combine it.
Keep on stirring the mixture till it leaves the sides of the pan and the milk curds have caramelised.
At this stage add the Homemade raspberry puree to the caramelised milk or any other choice of flavouring.
Transfer the milk mixture into a nonstick loaf pan to cool down. Wrap it up in a cloth and cover for 30 minutes.
After the mixture is cooled, turn it out from the loaf pan and slice it into rectangular pieces. Coat the milk cake into crushed pista and serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Note
This recipe includes the flavouring of raspberries, but you can add any sort of flavouring that you like. If it's any other fruit or berry that you prefer and it can be pureed into a concentrate, it can be used as a flavouring.
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