Paal Cake - Milk Burfi

Paal cake has been a childhood favorite of mine. This is kind of a comfort sweet that you find hidden in your mom's cupboard and you just pick a few everytime you pass by and pop them in your mouth. The aroma of just milk and sugar cooked for a couple of hrs ...this can melt away any kind of stress!

Right now, I'm stress free...because I just made this ...my kitchen and living room smell like back home...the smell of my childhood..the smell of those wonderful moments...

This is an easy recipe in terms of ingredients and method. But, you do need a lot of patience. And strong legs to stand for a while. I feel like my arm muscles just got a workout!

Here's the ensemble cast - I forgot to add sugar in the picture. But, that's another main ingredient for the paal cake.

Evaporated Milk - 3 cans
Sugar - 4 cups
Milk - about 2 cup
Rava - about 1 tbsp
Ghee - readymade or homemade from unsalted butter (see recipe here)
Cardamom powder
Saffron (optional)


If you are making ghee at home, make that before you start preparing for the paal cake.

In a pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee. When hot, add 1 tbsp of rava and fry well till the raw smell goes away.

Add the evaporated and regular milk to this. Make sure that the flame is in low or medium low. This is critical. Don't keep it in high as that will scorch the bottom of the pan and that's just not good for our recipe!

Keep stirring every few mins. Make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom. I uses a hard anodized pan - even if you use nonstick, keep stirring.

When the milk is a little bit boiled, go ahead and add the sugar and mix well. Keep stirring.

Just keep stirring...just keep stirring - reminds me of Dory's song in Nemo - "Just keep swimming..Just keep swimming"

More stirring. You can see that the dish is starting to come along..it's becoming thicker as it cooks.

As you keep stirring every few mins, you will notice that they start to leave the side. At this point, add about a cup of ghee to this. This will make sure that the consistency is good. And of course, makes is more tasty!

Add about 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder at this stage. You can also add saffron if you like.

Here - it's almost there!

Move all of the contents from the pan to a greased plate (use the same ghee for greasing a plate or a baking dish)

Since the paal cake is not even at this point, take a small katori and dip the bottom in ghee or oil. The use this bottom and pat the paal cake on the plate.

Like this.

Even out the top part.

Let it cool for about an hour.

When it's cool, use a greased knife and cut into squares.

All you have to do now is eat it..Enjoooooooooyyyyyy..

Submitting this recipe for 'State Specials' event hosted by Shanthi Krishnakumar's Cookbook. Thanks Shanthi for hosting!