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Forum Thread - Microwave Baking

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Glenys, on 4/2/2010 05:38pm

Hi Mamta - how are you? I haven't contaced the fuorm page for ages! But I can't do without your receipes and guidance!!!

I was wondering if anyone has used their microwave to bake? I would like to try to make a Goan sweet called Bebinca and wanted to use the microwave and broiler - as it is a layered "egg yolk cake" that requires baking and then broiling (grilling) at every layer.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks Glenys

Mamta, on 4/2/2010 06:39pm

Nice to see you here again Glenys.

I had never heard of Bebinca cake, so just googled for it. In my view, microwaves are not generally good for baking cakes. When they first came out, I did a microwave cooking course as evening classes. The tutor there made a cake in it, which we all tried making at home over the next week. To me, it did not have the same 'baked' flavour of a normal cake and was always too dry. So, personally, I wouldn't make a cake in microwave. Let's see what others think.

Mamta

Glenys, on 4/2/2010 08:35pm

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Mamta. I just noticed my spelling is terrible on the first line - please excuse me but I was typing in a hurry.

I am from Goa and Bebinca is a delicacy cake - that consists only of egg yolks, sugar and coconut milk and nutmeg. It is layered - so each layer is baked, then grilled and the cooled, which makes it a tedious process. So, of course I was looking for a short cut. But you are right, I don't think the taste would be the same. I don't know how our gransdmothers had the patience to do all this without any mod - cons!

Take care and I'll keep in touch.

Mamta, on 4/2/2010 10:01pm

Enjoy your cake when you have baked it :-)!

Winton, on 5/2/2010 10:27am

I remember too when microwave ovens first became widely available and it seemed nearly 'mandatory' to do some training to prevent yourself blowing up the machine.

For baking I've found things just come out looking rather anaemic without the depth of flavour of conventional cooking. However when in a hurry they make a good chocolate cake (and fish too, but obviously not at the same time!)

Kavey, on 24/2/2010 05:15pm

The only thing I would add is that microwave technology has moved on a lot in the last couple of decades and some of the newer models have all kinds of clever programmes that allow you to get better results for food that was once not worth making in microwaves (such as cakes).

Gizelle, on 24/12/2010 08:34pm

Hi Glenys,

I just tried making Bebinca for the first time today and it turned out to be a terrible mess (but still yummy). Even though it tasted nice, the consistency was not at all what I am used to eating. None of the recipes I have found online contain accurate temperatures or time in the oven. Could you please help me out?

Roosevelt, on 4/10/2011 08:27am

Hi, just a suggestion, if u have a convection, then only use the grill to bake the bibinca, also use a little extra ghee spread with the back of a spoon before you pour the next layer.

Bebinca only needs heat from top.

Mamta, on 10/10/2011 05:12am

This is bebinca; http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bebinca&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=TSo&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DX6STrPbMcuo8QPsztQT&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=685

I don't think I have ever eaten it. It looks like a stack of lovely layers of pancakes. May be it is possible to make it in two heavy bottomed frying pans? Cook one side in the frying pan, then other can be grilled from the top. You can have 2 pans going?

Lydia, on 23/11/2016 12:46am

A very delicious dessert but demands a lot of.patience and I have none. To me it's a cake of stacked pancakes so I ventured to find an easier way out. I made a srack of pancakes -- about 15 -- which is supposed to be the number of layers ib Bebica -- took me about 1/2 hour. The pancakes were a little fragile. I stacked them on a tray lined with a parchment paper. I left the tops slightly undone/sticky so that the layers could adhere to each other. One or two layers did separate. Some recipes call for dividing the batter into two and colouring one with burnt sugar. Nice idea for two distinctive layers. After all the pancakes are stacked hold them in place in a spring form pan. Bake them for about 20/25 minutes. I was very happy at the way it turned out. Don't forget to brush each layer with melted butter/ghee.

Another way to do it is to make some caramel syrup and brush each layer so that they stick together.

I use the recipe from goanfoodrecipes.com -- very nice recipe.

Lydia, on 3/12/2016 12:40pm

Since my last post, I sent a picture of my Bebinka to Mamta using the swift innovative way to make this dessert in 1/5th of the time -- see her Facebook site. This time I used Alves Fernandes recipe which was excellent too. I have researched about 20 recipes and they vary very little.

Two ways to expedite the process. (1) Stacked pancake method -- tried a few times, works beautifully and (2) If you like the baked method, Use 3 identical pans (8 inch round pans) and bake 3 layers at a time. If each layer takes 15 minutes, 4 layers will take an hour in each pan. After an hour you have 12 layers. Then sandwich the 3 sets of layers together with sticky syrup -- my preference would be to to caramelize the syrup for added flavour. Weigh the stacked piles down for 1/2 hour to ensure they stick, and why won't they! Who has the time to spend 5 hours watching the tops to brown, not me.

I only have one query? Some recipes call for the sugar to be melted before proceeding with the batter. Not sure why? Is it because the sugar in India is very coarse and does not disolve as easily or does it give it a special texture??

I'd love to know how yours turned out. Good Luck.

Mamta, on 3/12/2016 05:43pm

general sugar used everyday is coarser than here in India, though fine sugar is also easily available.

Audrey D'sou, on 10/12/2020 05:28pm

Making stacked pancakes sounds fab- saves on time and avoids exhaustion :))

To answer a question:-

*sometimes sugar and water : 1/4 cup sugar to 3 tablespoons water brought to a boil & simmered for a dark golden colour, is used to make dark & light layers.

*Melted sugar used in the batter is probably done when the sugar is coarse- best sugar is caster/granulated which eliminates this process.

*The heat for the oven broiling/baking is 180C / 350F top shelf, with 10 - 12 minutes for each layer (for a 9 egg yolk, 600ml coconut milk , 150gm AP flour Bebinca)

Definitely going to try the " pancake method" - thanks for the tips ladies

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