Don’t forget to share this recipe for Vasilopita – Greek New Year’s Cake by The Greek Glutton
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you are all recovering from last night’s shenanigans or that you are up bright and early embracing the day if you stayed in yesterday. I myself rang in the New Year in Prague with my family, for which I trudged through slippery streets with my little 7-year-old sister to find ingredients to make a Greek vasilopita cake. A ‘vasilopita’ in Greek means a “king’s pie” for St. Basil, who in tradition brings presents to children on January 1st. Families usually cut the vasilopita around midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the most senior member of the family getting the first slice. A foil-wrapped coin is always hidden somewhere in the cake… And whoever gets the coin in their slice of cake gets good luck for the upcoming year!
This year my little sister got the coin so I suspect she has a good year coming up ahead! Actually, we were shopping for ingredients and she spotted a kit of purple, green, and orange frosting tubes. She beggeddd me to let her decorate the cake with it… And I thought to myself “well…maybe the green could be ok” (seeing as that’s sort of a holiday color) and she agreed.
But at home she wanted to squeeze ALL of the colors onto the cake…!!! But of course I am a cook/baker. So I had a certain vision for my “masterpiece” that I didn’t want changed. Does that make me stubborn? LOL. So we came to a compromise, and I was able to decorate the cake in the traditional way. I snapped a few pics (unfortunately after the sun had already gone down), and then I let her attack the cake in any way she wanted. Surprisingly, the colored frosting was pretty clear and she didn’t actually put too much on, so I was able to snap some more pics of the half-eaten cake this morning.
I really like this cake because it’s easy to make and has no complicated ingredients. And mostly because it tastes like cake you used to eat when you were little. The kind that your mom or grandmother used to make (no matter where you’re from). It’s just one of THOSE cakes that tastes familiar and brings up good memories. Actually, there’s a cup of orange juice in this cake but it really doesn’t taste orangey at all. I think the juice just helps bring out the flavors and makes the cake taste a bit more rich. Fortunately the recipe I’m giving you is a much lighter version of the traditional recipe, with about half the number of eggs, and half the amount of sugar, flour, and butter. So it’s a good way to start the New Year off right!
Wishing all of you a prosperous year filled with happiness and health. Bring on 2015!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
The Greek Glutton
Yields 8 servings
10 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
55 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (3-4 oranges)
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 small packet of vanilla powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar
- Sieve
- 12 inch/30 cm round baking pan
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F / 175 C
- Grease a round cake pan with butter
- In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar
- Pour in the orange juice and mix
- In a small bowl whip the eggs to combine the yolk and the white of the egg
- Pour the eggs into the mixing bow, add the vanilla, and mix
- Add the flour 1 cup at a time and mix, also adding in the baking powder and salt
- Mix well so everything is incorporated. The batter will be thick
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and spread evenly with a spatula
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Take the cake out and cool so that it is warm, but not hot, to the touch
- Flip the cake upside down onto a plate
- Wrap a coin in foil and insert it into the cake
- Turn the cake right side up and spin the plate around a few times so you don't know where the coin is (for you cheaters out there!)
- Dust the cake in powdered sugar using a sieve
- Usually the cake is decorated with the numbers of the new year, which can be written on with frosting, or made by cutting out paper in the shape of the numbers, placing the paper cutouts onto the cake, and then dusting it with powdered sugar. Carefully lift the paper off the cake when you're done dusting it with the sugar
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
I baked the cake in an oven with a stream setting. If you don't have an oven with a steam setting, just place a baking dish filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven. This helps ensure the cake doesn't get too dry and crackly.
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