Indian · Goa · dessert

Bebinca (Layered Coconut and Egg Yolk Cake)

Bebinca (Layered Coconut and Egg Yolk Cake) reads richness 7.0, sweetness 5.9 and warm spice 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Goa dessert, about 6 hr 7 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 7.0 · Sweetness 5.9 · Warm Spice 4.0 · Nutty 3.9 · Salinity 2.9 · Floral 2.7 · Umami 2.2 · Fruity 1.8 · Earthy 1.2 · Herbaceous 1.0 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (8)

Time & effort: about 6 hr 7 min (2 hr 37 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 375.2 kcal, 9.3 g protein, 26.2 g fat, 28.7 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. Stir the sugar into the coconut milk and leave it 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until every grain has dissolved. Do not heat it.
  2. Beat the egg yolks until pale and thick, about 4 minutes, then beat them into the sweetened coconut milk.
  3. Fold in the sifted flour, nutmeg, salt and crushed cardamom seeds until the batter is completely smooth and about the thickness of double cream. Rest it 30 minutes so the flour hydrates.
  4. Heat the grill or top element of the oven to high and warm a 20 cm round tin. Brush the tin generously with melted ghee.
  5. Pour in a ladleful of batter, about 5 mm deep, and grill 6 to 8 minutes until the surface is set and freckled deep brown. Brush that layer with a tablespoon of ghee, pour on the next ladleful and grill again.
  6. Repeat for 12 to 16 layers, brushing ghee between every one. This takes upwards of two hours and there is no way around it; the layers, each grilled separately, are the entire dish, and a bebinca baked in one go is just a coconut pudding.
  7. Cool completely in the tin, at least 3 hours, before turning out and cutting into wedges with a hot knife so the layers show.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.