By Jheelum Basu
December 13, 2025
Making Bebinca, also known as the ‘Queen of Goan Desserts’, is all about baking a creamy, layered, sweet delight with a lot of patience. This Christmas, give the traditional Goan recipe a Christmassy spin with festive colours and flavours. Try this Christmas-flavoured Bebinca recipe at home.
10 egg yolks 1.25 cup powdered sugar 2 ½ cups thick coconut milk ¾ cup and 1 tbsp sifted all-purpose flour ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp cinnamon powder ½ tsp powdered clove ¼ tsp vanilla extract A pinch of salt ¼ cup melted butter 3 tbsp water for caramel A few drops of light green and red food colouring (for a Christmassy look)
In a small, heavy-bottomed pan, heat around 3 tablespoons of sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar caramelises.
Whisk the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the sugar and beat well. Add coconut milk, nutmeg, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, clove powder, and salt. Sift in the flour and whisk to form the batter.
Divide the batter into two equal portions. In one bowl, add the caramel syrup to create a darker batter. Add red or green food colour to the batter placed in the other bowl.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Use both top and bottom heating elements. Grease a baking dish with melted butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Now, pour one thin layer of the darker batter into the prepared pan. Bake it for 10-15 minutes. Once done, remove the pan from the oven and brush the top of it with melted butter.
Pour a layer of the lighter batter over the first layer. Turn off the bottom heating element of the oven. Use the top element for the rest of the layers and bake for 10 minutes. Keep repeating the same for all the layers.
Once done, let it cool in the pan for hours. Gently unmould it using a warm knife around the edges. Slice it and serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.