Delish, Recipes

Baath Cake, A Goan Tradition

Baath or Bathika is a traditional cake from Goa, India. It is prepared with fine semolina and coconut and sometimes flavoured with aromatic spices. Traditionally this cake was baked at home in a stovetop clay oven with hot coals placed on the lid. The traditional recipe also calls for overnight resting. The flavours melt and mature creating a delicious cake that crumbles in your mouth. This is an old-fashioned cake popular during Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Fine Semolina (160 gram)
  • 1 Cup Desiccated Coconut (160 gram)
  • 3/4 Cup Fine Sugar (170 gram)
  • 3 Eggs Large
  • 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil or Butter
  • 1/2 Cup Milk/Coconut Milk
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Preparation

Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 50 minutes

  1. To make the batter, bring all the ingredients to room temperature before.
  2. Whisk the eggs one by one and beat till pale yellow and fluffy. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  3. Cream the butter/oil with the sugar until light and airy. Add the beaten eggs to the batter of butter and sugar.
  4. Mix in the 1 cup of fine semolina and 1 cup of desiccated coconut with 2 teaspoons of baking powder well and stir.
  5. Add half a cup of milk. If the batter looks very dry, you can add some more milk.
  6. The batter should be of dropping consistency rather than pouring consistency. Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
  7. Cover tightly with a cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 6 hours to overnight preferably.
  8. When ready to bake, remove the cake from the fridge and transfer to the baking pan greased with butter and level off the top with a spoon.
  9. Place the oven rack a little below centre and pre-heat the oven. Let the cake batter rest on the counter while the oven is preheating.
  10. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until done.
  11. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops are browned evenly.
  12. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
  13. Instead of vanilla essence, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon fresh cardamom powder or 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg for more local flavours.

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Yucca Netto

I moved from Bandra, Mumbai to Qatar and as a flight attendant travelled around the globe. I've always loved cooking and believe I have this inbuilt knack to whip up recipes, although I draw a lot of my inspiration from my mom. She is a splendid cook and well known for her yummy delicacies. More recently, the lockdown presented me with free time from my wandering schedule so I decided to catch up with my passion for cooking and baking. It helped me recount old memories and try out traditional recipes after decades.