Bebinca Recipe with step by step photos. Bebinca is a classic traditional Goan Layered Dessert! Bebinca is also known as bibic or bebinka. Bebinca recipe is a delicacy made during all festive occasions in Goa. It’s like a pudding which has 7 layers. It depends how many layers you want to make more or less. I remember vividly whenever we have been Goa never come back without packets of Bebinca, Dodol and Doce de grao. I am happy that I am making them home hence not missing them.

Make Bebinca this Christmas and make it more special. What is Bebinca? It’s a multi-layered pudding made with flour, eggs, sugar, coconut milk and cardamom-nutmeg powder. You need to be patient to make this as this takes quite a lot of effort but it’s worth it. My hubby loves Bebinca and it’s surprise for him tonight post lunch. This dessert is generally eaten plain Or with a dollop of ice-cream.
This stays for a longer time and can be stored for 2 weeks. In Goa it’s made with traditional style of cooking however I have baked them in oven. Now if you bake in OTG the color will be dark brown in color however I have baked in microwave -convection mode hence the color is not so dark brown. However the taste was delicious and yummy.
This dessert will be mastered if made several times. It’s not a difficult dessert but need to have a lot of time and patience. If you are in a hurry please don’t make them. Make when you are having leisure time.
How to make Bebinca recipe :
1. Preheat oven to 180°C exactly fifteen mins before baking. Grease a round tin Or loaf pan with 2 tbsp ghee. Take a mixing vessel combine coconut milk and sugar. With the help of electric beater beat until sugar dissolves.
2. Add one egg yolk at a time and beat until they all mix nicely.
3. Now add flour, 1 tbsp ghee and salt. Beat all nicely.
4. Pour 1/2 cup of batter and bake for 25 mins. Now spread some ghee over it with the help of brush. Sprinkle little cardamom powder and vanilla essence is using. Bake again for fifteen mins. Again spread ghee, cardamom powder and vanilla essence.
5. Continue greasing and baking with 1/2 cup batter until all batter is finished. Bake each layer for fifteen minutes.
6. For the last batter spread ghee, sprinkle, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla essence if using. Add flaked almonds if using now. Bake the last layer for 20-22 mins.
7. Allow to cool completely. Unmould the pan gently with a tap from behind. Slice bebinca and serve warm Or cold with a dollop of icecream.
For more Goan sweets check out dodol recipe, guavacheese recipe and doce de grao recipe on my blog.
Bebinca recipe card details below:
- 250 ml thick coconut milk (the first extract of coconut milk)
- 6 egg yolks (keep the whites for making cake Or marzipan)
- 175 gms refined flour
- 1/2 cup ghee at room temperature(clarified butter) + 1 tbsp ghee for the bibinca batter
- 200 gms sugar Or as required (I prefer less sweet)
- 1 t/s nutmeg powder
- 1 t/s cardamom powder
- few flaked almonds (I haven’t used)
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence (optional)
- a pinch of salt
- Preheat oven to 180°C exactly fifteen mins before baking. Grease a round tin Or loaf pan with 2 tbsp ghee.
- Take a mixing vessel, combine coconut milk and sugar. With the help of electric beater beat until sugar dissolves.
- Add one egg yolk at a time and beat until they all mix nicely.
- Now add flour, 1 tbsp ghee and salt. Beat all nicely.
- Pour 1/2 cup of batter and bake for 25 mins.
- Now spread some ghee over it with the help of brush. Sprinkle little cardamom powder and vanilla essence if using.
- Bake again for fifteen mins. Again spread ghee, cardamom powder and vanilla essence.
- Continue greasing and baking with 1/2 cup batter until all batter is finished. Bake each layer for fifteen minutes.
- For the last batter spread ghee, sprinkle, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla essence if using. Add flaked almonds if using now. Bake the last layer for 20-22 mins.
- Allow to cool completely. Unmould the pan gently with a tap from behind. Slice bibinca and serve warm or cold with a dollop of icecream.
Linda says
can bebinca be frozen?
maria says
You can freeze, thaw, microwave and eat. However would prefer fresh ones.
Yvonne DPenha says
Hello Maria,
Please tell me how you bake the Bebic – the first layer is it baked in the oven or on the stove top. Then from the second layer you bake it in the oven for the specific time, 15 minutes. Do you use the grill to bake the sweet and do you regulate your griller – I have a Faber Gas Oven and have a grill but not able to reduce the flame. Or do you bae it like you would your cake in the oven and no griller for 15 minutes each layer.
Fatima says
Maria, i always thought bibinca has to be baked in grill mode. Can you explain if normal baking is fine.
maria says
Fatima you can try combi mode (grill +baking), if your oven is not supporting then try grill or bake mode. Hope this information helps you.
Anna Maria says
kindly explain what is a OTG
maria says
Anna Maria OTG is oven-toaster-grill a 3 in one function in which you can bake cakes, grill veggies and also toast bread etc. Hope this information helps you.
Anupriya Paul says
hi maria , i tried this recipe of yours today. thanks for posting this because i wanted to make this sweet since i was a little girl after my visit to goa. i just loved it. coming to the recipe, your bebinca seems soft and your layers are prominent. but mine is a bit dry and not that glossy and as prominent as yours. please tell me what i am doing wrong. thank u
maria says
Anupriya glad you liked bebinca 🙂 thanks for positive views. Spreading some ghee over it with the help of brush helps in not drying. Hope you have followed the instructions to the tee. Hope this information helps you.
Rita says
Thanks for. The bebinca recepie.Am going to try today cause tomorrow is my birthday
maria says
sure rita 🙂 wish u happy birthday in advance from us. let us know how bebinca was? thanks.
Maria Fernandes says
Hi Maria… i just love your blog… a quick question… what if somebody doesn’t have an OTG or microwave? How can they try this then?
maria says
Thanks Maria 🙂 for your positive views. In Goa they still cook on traditional pots and fire. May be you could try baking in a cooker. However the process of caking in a cooker is different. Check this link to see how to bake in a cooker, recipe here. Hope this information helps you and best of luck.
gernal says
I never tried. But it looks yummy,
maria says
sure gernal try and let us know thanks.
Janet Fialho says
We love Indian food (and Kashmiri) and had this dessert at some friends’ house in Portugalbut your recipe sounds fabulous
I am going to make it for Easter Sunday for family so I will let you know the reaction
Will be back for more recipes more recipes
Happy Easter to all
Janet
maria says
Thankyou Janet wish you and your family too a Happy Easter 🙂 surely try and let us know your reaction take care.
Suja says
This is really tempting. But leaves me with one doubt. When we keep baking each layer ? what will happen to the bottom one? won’t it get burnt? Am gonna try this.
maria says
No suja that’s hoe its baked it won’t get burnt. Hope this help’s you and thankyou.
valisa says
Hi maria,
Going to try this recipe 2moro.
But confused in 4th step. I hav to spread ghee, vanilla essence nd cardamom pwdr after baking 1st layer nd bake it for 15 min?? Nd again i have spread ghee, vanilla esse & cardamom pwdr?????
This stap i hav to follow for all layers???
For last layer should i put all da above ingredients b4 baking.
Sorry for many questions.?
maria says
yes valisa you have to bake them layer wise hope this help’s you.
K. Dilip says
Is there any body in Pune selling Bebinca / Dodol cakes ? Can you provide name, address and tel no. please ?
maria says
Surely give me some time would update you with the number soon.
maria says
Mr K.Dilip I know someone selling Goan products but generally they sell at Christmas time her is his number Avinash – 09657964979 also you would get Dodol and Bebinca at Dorabjees. Hope this helps you.
daisy irani says
Does someone sell it in mumbai
maria says
I am not sure Daisy who sells in Mumbai but there are some cold stoarges in mumbai which sells goan products like the one in IC-colony borivali west near church. Hope this helps you.
Vipin says
Great way to make the dish , even new comer like me can make this dish very well
maria says
I am pleased to know I could help you 🙂
soma pradhan says
Its been my dream to cook Bebinca one day. Your hard work shows here. You rock !!
maria says
Thanks Soma 🙂 so much do tyr Bebinca Surely.
ida says
hi Maria,
The picture are really good and the sweet looks yum. Would love to try this out sometime….
have some questions…
If there are 7 laters, does the downmost layer bake longest and the top layer bakes the least? How does it uniformly get cooked then?
maria says
Thanks Ida 🙂 I have mentioned the timings of baking the first one is baked for extra 5 mins and the last one for extra 10 mins. The rest of layers baked as mentioned in the post. It gets evenly cooked if you feel you layers are mushy please bake for some more time use you instincts and judgement. I am sure you would bake a great Bebinca take care..
Esther says
Thanks for posting this recipe. I was curious about two things. What is the OTG you refer to? Have you tried using the broil function in the oven. I’ve seen these Goan ladies in Canada make it using the broiler(I think you call it grill) and each layer cooks in 2 to 3 minutes. BTW, I love how your layers are even.
maria says
Esther I don’t have a OTG and never tried broiler Or grill function. I have baked them and was quite happy with the result 🙂 thank’s so much do try its not so difficult but need to be patient. Keep me posted have great weekend cheers! and a big thankyou for coming here 🙂 🙂
Francis says
Wonderful recipe! Quick question: how many layers does this make?
maria says
Francis with the quantity I mentioned it makes about 8 to 9 layers.
Ronald says
Do you know how long I have searched for a real bebinca or “bibic” recipe on the Internet? Years, until now. I looked at the perfect even layers and knew I was on the right website.
Maria, thank you for your outstanding blog and not holding back on family recipes. For us not born in India and with no family recipes, you’re the bridge that connects us to the homeland Goa.
I was wondering about two things:
1) What is the OTG you wrote about.
2) Have you tried using the broil function in the oven? I remember my late mum used to broil each layer at 3 mins.
maria says
Thanks Ronald for coming here and you are welcome intending to upload more Goan authentic food and desserts. Ronald I haven’t used any OTG as I don’t have one …. Secondly I have baked in convection mode and not used broiler Or grill method. I have mentioned the baking details and method on the post. I ahve baked and was quite happy with the outcome. Lemme know once you try them… 🙂 have great weekend.
brian says
Great i love to eat Bebinca
maria says
do try them Brian 🙂