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Bebinca Recipe | How To Make Bebinca

Bebinca, also known as bebic, is a classic and popular Goan dessert. Here is a simple, step-by-step recipe to make Goan bebinca.  
Course Dessert
Cuisine Goan, Indian
Keyword Bebinca
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 1 9 x 5-inch bebinca
Author Freda Dias

Ingredients

Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml 

  • 200 grams all-purpose flour (maida)
  • 12 egg yolks
  • 400 grams granulated cane sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp nutmeg powder
  • 22 oz / 650 ml coconut milk
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee), You may also use unsalted butter

For the caramel

  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  • Prepare the caramel: In a saucepan, add sugar and 1/2 tablespoon water, heat on low heat until the sugar starts melting and turns dark brown. Immediately add 1/2 cup of water (exercise extreme precaution, as caramel, is very hot, and it splutters on the addition of water), continue heating on low heat till it thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Set aside from the heat until further use.
  • Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with ghee generously. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks, whisk well.
  • Add sugar, whisk to mix it well with the beaten egg yolks.
  • Add coconut milk, whisk to combine everything.
  • Add flour ( sifted) little at a time to the above mixture, whisk well to combine and get rid of any lumps.
  • Add nutmeg powder and salt, mix well.
  • This mixture yields approximately 5 cups, divide this equally into two separate mixing bowls. To one mixing bowl add the prepared caramel syrup. Mix well.
  • To bake bebinca: Add a tablespoon of ghee to the bottom of the loaf pan, then add about 1/4 cup of the lighter batter. Bake on the uppermost rack for about 15- 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Take it out of the oven. Switch on the broiler. Add about 1 teaspoon of ghee and spread it over the first baked layer. Add another 1/4 cup of darker batter over the ghee, broil for about 3-4 minutes, depending on your oven temperature, it may even take 2-3 minutes or longer, keep an eye. ( You will know when the layer is baked when you see tiny holes on the surface of the layer with some browning. Sometimes the layers tend to puff up during baking, that's perfectly alright, once you remove it from the oven, you have to prick it down with a fork/toothpick when you are applying ghee to that layer. Continue greasing and baking alternate layers( Stir the batter well each time, before pouring in the baking tin), broiling each layer for 2-3 mins. Once all the layers are baked, transfer to a cooling rack, apply some ghee to the topmost layer, leave it to cool in the loaf pan for at least 4-6 hours. Flip it over a serving platter. Cut into slices and serve. Bebinca tastes best when it's slightly warm.

Notes

  1.  Since I use a gas range oven, I have the option of broiling ( 500 degrees F). In case you are using an OTG, use the uppermost rack for baking, and continue baking the layers at the same temperature i.e 180 degrees C , it may take longer than the broiling option,(may take about 7-15 minutes or even less than 7 minutes for each layer to be baked) so you will need to keep an eye to know what works for your oven.
  2. You can also make a round bebinca cake, by following the same procedure in a round baking tin.
  3. Post updated with new pictures and detailed stepwise pictorial. This time I made thicker layers, so I used 1/2 cup batter for each layer. The first lighter layer took about 15 minutes to bake at 355 F, each layer took about 5-6 minutes to bake on the broil mode. I used a Pullman loaf pan to bake the bebinca.