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Vasilopita, my family recipe for the amazing New Year’s Cake..!

January 11, 2021

An incredible recipe from by mum’s cookery book …!

Vasilopita is the highlight of the season’s festivities for me. The special dessert is named after St Basil, a very wealthy and generous man living in Cappadocia in the 4th century who, as the story goes, decided to distribute his fortune to those in need, by making small pies and hiding money or jewellry in each one of them.

On New Year’s Day in Greece and in many European countries, families cut the Vasilopita (New Year’s white cake) to bless the house and bring good luck for the new year.

This is usually done at the midnight of New Year’s Eve. A coin is hidden in the cake by slipping it into the dough after baking. At midnight the sign of the cross is etched with a knife across the cake. A piece of cake is sliced for each member of the family and any visitors present at the time, as well as for Saints or whomever else the household wants to honour, by order of age from eldest to youngest.

Whoever finds the coin is supposed to have good luck for the rest of the year .

Slices are also cut for various symbolic people or groups, depending on local and family tradition. They may include the Lord , St. Basil ,the poor, the household and of course our beloved ones. In older times, the coin often was a valuable one, such as a gold sovereign. Nowadays there is often a prearranged gift, money, or otherwise, to be given to the coin recipient.

Many private or public institutions, such as societies, clubs, workplaces, companies, etc., cut their Vasilopita at a convenient time from New Year’s Day until the end of January.

I love so much this traditional custom , so I always make my own homemade “Vasilopita” according to my mum’s traditional recipe . My family and friends just adore it as it can be an excellent accompaniment for coffee, tea and breakfast time.

Actually it’s a basic white cake butter added with vanilla and orange. It smells amazingly.

I would like to share this recipe with you and I hope you are going to love it.

INGREDIENTS

250 gr. Unsalted Butter ( I use Lurpak )

6 extra fresh eggs

3 -4 oranges (zest & juice from 3 oranges 🍊), ( the juice must be 1 tea cup)

400 gr. white sugar ( 2 tea cups)

1 tea cup of fresh orange juice

1+ 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup icing sugar

500 gr self-raised flour (minus one big spoon)

For the deco:

60 gr dark chocolate (Melted in a heatproof bowl in microwave)

leaves, pomegranate

1 coin, wrapped in foil

Preheat oven to 250C.

Directions..!

Step 1.

Butter a round cake pan, line with parchment paper, dust with flour, tap out excess and set aside.

Step 2.

Separate the yolks and beat the eggs white. When finished, put in fridge .

Step 3.

Put yolks, butter , orange zest, and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Mix in orange juice and vanilla. Add flour , mix until smooth.

Remove the bowl from the mixer & add the egg whites to the mixture smoothing with wooden ladle or an offset spatula.

Step 4.

Bake to 180C, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, for 70 to 80 minutes. Turn cake out onto serving platter , remove parchment, and turn right side up.

Dust generously with icing sugar .

Let cool completely & then melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in microwave. Make your own design of Happy New Year sign or simply write the New year’s numbers with the melted chocolate, or with pomegranate & icing sugar , or both.

For your Vasilopita perfect placement , we chose some interesting options.

AERIN – Pieta Platter by Amara