Bibikkan (බිබික්කන්), often simply called pol cake or coconut cake, is a dark, moist and heavily spiced Sri Lankan cake. Freshly grated coconut is first cooked in kithul jaggery and kithul treacle, then mixed with roasted semolina, dates, raisins, cashew nuts and spices and baked into a dense slab that is cut into squares.
It is a festive cake, made for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, where it joins the other sweets on the New Year table, and also for Christmas and other celebrations. It is generally believed to date from the Portuguese period on the island's coast, when European-style baked cakes met local coconut, palm sugar and spice.
How to make bibikkan
- Makes 16 squares
- Prep: 30 minutes (+ 30 minutes cooling)
- Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
For the coconut mixture
- 200 g kithul jaggery, grated
- 150 ml kithul treacle
- 100 ml water
- 300 g freshly grated coconut (from about 1 large coconut)
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 8 cardamom pods, 1 tsp fennel seeds and 4 cloves, dry-roasted and finely ground
- 1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the cake
- 150 g semolina (rulang)
- 75 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100 g dates, stoned and chopped
- 75 g raisins
- 100 g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
- 75 g puhul dosi (ash pumpkin preserve), chopped (optional)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp butter or oil, for greasing the tin
Method
- Roast the semolina. Dry-roast the semolina in a heavy pan over a low heat, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until it smells toasty and turns pale golden. Tip it into a bowl.
- Make the syrup. In a large pan, heat the jaggery, treacle and water over a medium-low heat, stirring, until the jaggery has dissolved, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Cook the coconut. Add the coconut, ginger, ground spices, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the coconut has soaked up most of the syrup and the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Cool. Take the pan off the heat and leave the mixture to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan) and grease and line a 23 cm square tin.
- Mix the cake. Stir the roasted semolina, flour and baking powder into the cooled coconut, then add the dates, raisins, cashew nuts and puhul dosi, if using.
- Add the eggs. Stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla until evenly combined. The mixture should be thick and heavy, like a stiff fruit-cake batter.
- Bake. Spread it into the tin, level the top and bake for about 1 hour, until the top is firm and dark and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if the top darkens too quickly.
- Cool and cut. Leave it to cool in the tin, then lift it out and cut into 16 squares.
Can bibikkan be made without eggs?
Yes. Many traditional recipes use no eggs at all and rely on the semolina and flour to bind the cake. Leave out the eggs and stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons of thick coconut milk instead, so the mixture has the same stiff, spreadable consistency. Without eggs or butter the cake is fully plant-based; expect a slightly denser, stickier result that benefits from a longer, gentler bake at 160°C.
Why roast the semolina?
Roasting drives off moisture and gives the semolina a nutty flavour, so it absorbs the treacle without turning pasty. It also gives bibikkan its characteristic slightly grainy texture. Some cooks use roasted rice flour instead of semolina, which makes a smoother cake; if you also leave out the plain flour, that version contains no wheat.
Which jaggery and treacle should you use?
Kithul jaggery and treacle, made from the sap tapped from the flower stalks of the kithul palm (Caryota urens), give the darkest colour and the deepest, slightly smoky flavour; see kitul tapping for how the sap is collected. Coconut treacle and coconut jaggery are common alternatives. Taste the mixture after cooking the coconut, as jaggery varies in sweetness.
What variations are there?
- Preserves and peel: puhul dosi and grated lime zest are traditional extras; some add candied ginger instead of fresh.
- Spice blend: the core is cardamom, fennel and cloves; Ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg are frequent additions.
- Glaze: some cooks brush the hot cake with a little extra kithul treacle for a shiny top.
How long does bibikkan keep?
Stored in an airtight tin at room temperature, bibikkan keeps for 3 to 4 days, and its flavour improves after the first day. In the fridge it lasts about a week; bring it back to room temperature before serving. Serve it with a cup of tea, or alongside kokis, pani kadju and other sweets at the New Year, whose rituals follow the auspicious times of the Avurudu nakath.
