Published: February 1, 2016 Last Modified: October 30, 2019 Freda Dias

Baath Cake | Batica | Goan Semolina & Coconut Cake

Name: Baath Cake | Batica | Goan Semolina & Coconut Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 250 grams freshly grated coconut,* (approx 2 & 1/2 cups); 250 grams fine semolina / rava / sooji; 300 grams sugar; 8 large eggs; 3/4 tbsp nutmeg powder; 113 grams /1 stick butter or ghee, (melted); Pinch of salt, (skip if using salted butter); 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida); Tiny pinch of salt; 1 tsp oil; Water, (as required to make a dough)

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Baath cake is a classic Goan delight, made of semolina and coconut. It is a dense, moist and delicious! It is also known as Batk or Batica.

Baath cake is a very traditional Goan Christmas sweet and is mostly a part of the Christmas Kuswar platter

It is not very sweet and is a lovely accompaniment for tea time. It doesn’t really require any frosting, it’s so good on its own.

Now, traditionally the look of this dish is more of a pie, it is baked with a type of pie shell, but that’s a rarity now, you will hardly see Baath cake sold that way. My mum in law suggested to give it that lattice look, so we just made simple flour dough strips and created the diagonal pattern. It did make the cake look prettier!

I intended sharing this for Christmas, but posting every other day got really overwhelming, and the pictures were just babysitting in my laptop. I guess it’s never too late, right?

This Goan baath cake recipe requires some time as the batter has to sit for 6-8 hours or overnight. Other than that there isn’t much to it unless of course, you grate the coconut. Or else, simply use frozen grated coconut, let it thaw before you use it in the recipe.

You simply have to mix all the ingredients, leave it covered for some hours, then bake it to a beautiful golden brown color.

This is a recipe shared by my Mum in law’s cousin who owns a small bakery in Goa. So let’s learn how to make Authentic Goan Baath Cake | Batica 🙂

Table of Contents

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS BAATH CAKE | COCONUT RAVA CAKE, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE SOME MORE TRADITIONAL GOAN SWEETS FOR CHRISTMAS. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPES.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | GOAN COCONUT CAKE | BATICA | BATK

1.In a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai, dry roast the semolina on medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until dry and fragrant. (about 10 minutes)

2.Grind the grated coconut with about 1/2 cup water to a coarse paste.

3.In a mixing bowl, add 5 whole eggs (egg whites+yolks) and only the yolk of the remaining 3 eggs. To this add sugar. Whisk the sugar with egg mixture, until well combined.

4.Next add butter, coconut, nutmeg powder, salt if using, mix well. Lastly, add the roasted semolina to the above batter, mix well. Cover and let it rest for about 8 hours or overnight. (There is no need to refrigerate this, but if you live in a pretty hot and humid climate, then do refrigerate it).

5.If you intend to top it with the crust, then knead the dough, roll it out to about 1/8th inch thickness, cut about 1/2 inch strips.

6.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line an 8 inch round cake tin or 9-inch square tin with parchment paper and grease with little butter. Add baking powder and mix the batter well before transferring into the prepared cake tin.

7.Place the strips on the prepared cake batter to create the diagonal pattern. Bake in the middle rack of the oven at 300 degrees F, until it’s golden brown, for about 1 hr and 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in, comes out clean. Baking times will vary depending on the pan size used, keep an eye once the top begins to turn golden brown.

8.Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

Since this coconut baath cake has fresh coconut, I suggest finishing it within 2-3 days, or else you can refrigerate it in an air right container, warm it a little before serving.
For Goan baath cake recipe with desiccated coconut, replace the fresh coconut with desiccated, grind it with the same amount of warm water.
If using frozen coconut, skip grinding the coconut with water since thawed coconut tends to be moist, pulse it a couple of times to break it down.

HOW TO MAKE GOAN BAATH CAKE | BATICA | GOAN SEMOLINA COCONUT CAKE RECIPE?