By Smriti Dey
January 30, 2026
Kalakand and milk cake look alike, but they come from different places. Milk cake came from northern India, where milk was slowly caramelised to make it. Kalakand comes from the east and is based on the way chenna is made. Get to know some of the most prominent differences between the two deserts that look the same!
When you make milk cake, you keep cooking it until the milk thickens and caramelises on its own. To make kalakand, you mix chenna with reduced milk. This makes the cooking time shorter and changes the texture.
When milk cake caramelises, it smells like cooked milk. Kalakand smells fresher and lighter, with a clean dairy smell.
The sweet milk cake has evenly absorbed the milk fat. Kalakand has visible fat separation, which makes it soft and moist.
When you cut milk cake, it stays together and doesn't fall apart. Kalakand is soft as well as uneven, so it's easy to break and is often served that way.
People often choose milk cake as a gift or to take with them when they travel because it is strong. People like to serve Kalakand right away at parties and family get-togethers.