Easy Coconut Baath Cake

Name: Easy Coconut Baath Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 250 ml water; 400 gm white sugar; 250 gm semolina; 125 gm fresh coconut (grated); 125 gm desiccated coconut; 50 gm flour; 50 gm butter; 3 eggs; 5 gm baking powder; 10 gm cardamom powder; 10 gm vanilla; 70 gm cashews; Pinch of salt

This Goan cake is a traditional dessert that is a coconut lovers delight. The recipe is an easy cake that doesn’t require any soaking time and comes together in under an hour.

Growing up I remember this cake being made by my grandma and it was the best dessert I ever ate. Her recipe was authentic, she soaked her cake batter overnight and baked it in hot sand with coal. Cut them into squares and served it with coffee. This recipe is not traditional but it is definitely delicious. The texture and flavor is just the same and I can say with all honesty, it works. My grandma didn’t get to try this but my mum did and she LOVES IT!

What is Coconut Baath Cake?

Coconut Baath is basically a cake that is also known as batica or batk. It is from Goa, India and I remember eating this during occasions or celebrations. Do you need a celebration to make this recipe? Absolutely not. It is usually soaked overnight or for a few hours since it has semolina in it but this is my hack to making it simple and quick. Now this is not the traditional way to make it but it works and believe me when I say it’s fluffy and soft but chewy and crusty on the top.

What ingredients do you need to make this Coconut Baath Cake?

Coconut –

This is a coconut cake hence we need coconut. I have used freshly grated coconut and desiccated coconut to make this cake. Most Baath cakes are made with only desiccated coconut but I have used fresh and dry as it is not going to be soaked. The fresh coconut adds texture but also more coconut flavor.

Semolina –

This is a main ingredient in this cake. The semolina adds the crunch and fluffiness into the cake, you cannot skip it.

Flour –

I have used all purpose flour to make this cake, you can use self raising flour or cake flour as well.

Sugar –

This cake works well with castor sugar you can use granulated white sugar as well. It must be white sugar.

Eggs –

There is no substitute for eggs in this recipe, hence if you don’t eat eggs, you cannot make this cake.

Butter –

I have used room temperature salted butter but you can use unsalted, either way it must be room temperature. To keep this cake dairy free you can use dairy free butter as well.

Flavorings –

The flavors for this cake are vanilla, cardamom powder and cashew nuts. We add a little salt but a little goes a long way. You can leave out the cardamom but I wouldn’t recommend it.

What equipment do you need to make this Coconut Baath Cake?

A sauce pot and whisk to cook the semolina mixture. We also need a large mixing bowl to whisk the eggs and a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together. I have baked this cake in a 9 inch tin but you could bake it in an 8×8 inch tin as well. The larger the tin the lesser the baking time, the smaller the tin the longer the time.

How to make this Coconut Baath Cake?

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, line a 9 inch tin with oil and baking paper. Boil the water in a sauce pot, add the sugar and whisk. Add the coconut and whisk. Add the butter (should be soft – room temperature soft) and whisk until it’s combined. Add the semolina and switch to a spatula, stir well. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until doubled in volume. Add cardamom powder, vanilla, baking powder and flour. Whisk until no lumps. Add the coconut mixture into the eggs in two parts. Fold together until combined. Add the cashew nuts and fold together. Transfer to a lined baking tin (9inch). Bake for 40-45 mins until the top is golden brown, dry to the touch and knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave to cool, release the edges, slice and serve

How to store this Coconut Baath Cake?

The leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 1 week. I would recommend wrapping the cake in cling wrap before storing in the air tight container.

Now that we have covered how to make this Coconut Baath Cake, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.