“Growing up, this was one of my favorite desserts. Traditionally from Goa, a coastal state in India, bebinca is a stunning seven-layer cake, made of egg yolks, flour, coconut milk, and sugar and topped with ghee. But since it’s fall, I’ve added golden sweet potatoes to the batter and simplified it to one layer for a more approachable, seasonal take. For a final flourish, I like to pour a little maple syrup over a chilled slice.” – Nik Sharma
Sweet Potato Bebinca
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee (84 grams), melted, plus a little extra for greasing the baking pan
- 1⅔ cups (406 grams) roasted sweet potato purée (see note)
- 1⅔ cups (400 grams) full-fat coconut milk 5 large eggs (250 grams)
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place a wire rack at mid-level in oven, and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch round baking pan with a little melted butter or ghee, and line pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sweet potato purée, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and melted butter or ghee. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, nutmeg, and salt. Add flour mixture to sweet potato mixture, whisking until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Gently tap pan on counter to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature. Remove from pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing and serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
To make roasted sweet potato purée, wash and scrub sweet potatoes under cold running tap water to remove any dirt. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), and place sweet potatoes in an ovenproof dish. (Most baking pans can’t withstand temperatures beyond 400°F [200°C], so I recommend using a cast-iron baking dish.) Bake until a skewer or knife passes through center of potato easily and flesh is soft and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard skins. Purée until smooth using a handheld blender, food processor, or blender.
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