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1
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, then add the thick coconut milk and whisk to combine. Sift in the refined flour and nutmeg and whisk to a smooth, lump-free batter — sifting matters here because any pocket of raw flour will show as a pale streak through the finished layer. Rest the batter for fifteen minutes so the flour absorbs evenly into the liquid and the batter settles to a fluid consistency that coats the back of a spoon without pooling heavily.
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2
Heat the broiler to high and grease a round heavy-bottomed cake tin of approximately 20 cm diameter with ghee. Pour in just enough batter to form a layer of approximately 5 mm — no thicker — because a thicker pour will stay raw at its centre by the time the surface colours. This is where the dish lives or dies: the layer is done when its surface is set and lightly caramelised to a deep amber — not charred, not pale — since an underset layer will merge wetly with the next and destroy the structure, while a burnt layer will carry bitterness through every subsequent pour.
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3
Remove the tin from the broiler and brush the caramelised surface lightly with melted ghee so the fat creates a clean release plane between layers, keeping them distinct when the cake is cut. Pour the next 5 mm layer of batter over the surface immediately, tilting the tin so the batter spreads evenly across the ghee before it begins to set beneath. Repeat this cycle — broil, brush with ghee, pour — for each successive layer until the batter is used, ensuring each layer shows the same deep-amber caramelisation before the next is poured; the traditional count is seven layers, though elaborate versions reach sixteen.
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4
After the final layer is set and caramelised, remove the tin from the broiler and allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Do not attempt to unmould or cut while warm, because the layers are still soft and compressible and will crush together under the knife, erasing the definition you have spent the whole bake building. The bebinca is ready to unmould when the sides have pulled slightly from the tin and the surface is firm and dry to the touch.
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5
Rest the unmoulded bebinca overnight before cutting, so the layers firm uniformly and the fat between them solidifies enough to hold each band in place under the knife. Slice with a sharp knife in a single clean downward press rather than a sawing motion, which would drag the softer interior across the caramelised edges. When sliced correctly, the alternating layers — caramelised amber and pale soft interior — should be distinct, clean, and intact, and the slice should hold its shape without crumbling or collapsing.