Bebinca

Bebinca, also known as Bebik is a traditional rich Goan dessert. It needs just four main ingredients – eggs, all-purpose flour, coconut milk, sugar with a hint of nutmeg and ghee but it’s the cooking process that involves baking one layer at a time, which can sometimes take up to four hours. Traditionally, bebinca has 7 layers but can go up to 16 layers. Bebinca is the only distinctive Goan dessert and is truly unique to Goa, hence known as ‘Queen of Goan Desserts’. It is also a traditional sweet in Goa during Christmas. Also served for special occasions like weddings and feasts.
  • Passive
    1 Hour
  • Prep
    40 minutes
  • Cook
    2.5-3 Hours
  • Servings
    25 Pc.

Ingredients

  • 9 Egg yolks
  • 400 grams Granulated white sugar
  • 600 ml Coconut Milk
  • 150 grams All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 tsp Grated nutmeg powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Ghee or butter (about 12-15 tbsp)
  • 1 tbsp Sugar caramel (optional)

Instructions

  • 1 In a large bowl, add the sugar and egg yolks. Mix well.
  • 2 Add the coconut milk. Mix until the sugar has dissolved completely
  • 3 Sift the flour through strainer and slowly add it to the coconut milk and egg mixture. Add in the salt and nutmeg powder. Mix the mixture thoroughly till there are no lumps of flour.
  • 4 Strain this mixture.
  • 5 Divide the bebinca batter into 2 equal portions. In one portion, add the sugar caramel. (To give alternate layers a slightly darker shade). See recipe notes Below to make caramel. (Check the link).
  • 6 Your bebinca batters are now ready to be baked in layers. Preheat oven at 400 deg F (200 deg c).
  • 7 In a 6-inch (diameter) round baking pan (the pan also needs to have good depth of at least 5 inches), add about 3 tbsp melted ghee. Add 1/2 cup of the dark colored batter. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • 8 Then add 1 tbsp ghee all over the first baked layer.
  • 9 Pour the lighter colored batter over the ghee layer. Bake on top heat of oven for about 12-15 minutes till the layer is cooked.
  • 10 Repeat the process of greasing with ghee, pouring 1/2 cup batter (alternating between dark and light shaded batters) until all the batter has been used up. You can get about 10-11 layers with this batter.
  • 11 Once the last layer has been baked, apply 1 tbsp ghee over the top layer.
  • 12 Allow the bebinca to cool down to room temperature. (See recipe notes below). Heat the baking pan on flame for 2-3 mins or immerse pan in hot water to loosen the BEBINCA off the pan . Unmold the bebinca on a plate. Slice it. Serve. Enjoy !!! (See recipe notes below) .
  • 13 This BEBINCA is done without using caramel (in alternate layers ) in the recipe.

Recipe Notes

Just a note from me for first timers in baking BEBINCA:-

  1. Ingredients in making a BEBINCA are the same for a BEBINCA recipe. Unlike other desserts,  BEBINCA is one dessert that you MAY not get it perfect ( as in the taste will be good but layers may not be perfect) in the first trial itself  .
  2. Baking bebinca requires patience and practice and also depends on oven types .
  3. As and when you make it you will get a hang of it  (timing and your oven temperatures ) and get the perfect layers .
  4. Add more caramel  (I have used more caramel ) to get darker shades for alternate layers.
  5. It took me about 11 trials in these 1.5-2 years (as and when I had time to work on it ) to get it to perfect layers.
  6. One may get it perfect in the first trial itself!
  7. But if you don’t get perfect layers in the first trial , then don’t give up as practice makes one perfect !
  8. As mentioned in the recipe , caramel is optional , you can skip it if you wish to.
  9. Make sure you set your timer while baking each and every layer!
  10. Click this link on how to make the caramel. Use as much caramel needed to get a good color. (Start with 1-2 tbsp and gradually increase if needed)
  11. Once your BEBINCA is baked, allow it to cool completely at room temperature. I suggest , overnight cooling in baking pan. Next day , unmold the bebinca from the pan.(this reduces the chances of layers getting separated once your unmold and slice the BEBINCA).
 

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