The most festive baking season is on, with most homes in Greece and the diaspora setting out to prepare their vasilopita, the Greek good luck cake for New Years Eve.
Cake Style Vasilopita
Vasilopita is a New Year’s Day cake in Greece, eastern Europe and the Balkans. The cake contains a hidden coin or trinket which brings good luck to the receiver
Cake Style Vasilopita
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, (save some to oil the pan with)
3 cups all-purpose flour, (set some aside to dust the pan with before pouring the batter in)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup orange juice
Cacao powder for decorating, coconut flakes & icing sugar, for serving (optional)
Cake Style Vasilopita
Method:
1. Turn on the oven to 180°C on fan or double resistance (top & bottom).
2. Butter and then sprinkle with flour a 10-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment.
Cake Style Vasilopita
3. You can either use an electric mixer on high speed if you have one or use a beater to hand beat the butter with the granulated sugar for 10 or 15 minutes respectively.
Cake Style Vasilopita
Make sure that the butter is in room temperature and soft before mixing it to avoid clumping. Beat until the mix looks soft and fluffy and looks paler than the butter in colour.
Cake Style Vasilopita
4. Lowering the speed by a little start adding the eggs one at a time so that the batter rises. Make sure each egg is fully incorporating into the mixture before adding the next.
Cake Style Vasilopita
5. Once you are done with the eggs add the brandy and vanilla followed by the orange zest and lemon zest until everything is combined.
6. In a separate bowl stir the flour and baking powder to combine.
Cake Style Vasilopita
7. Start poring in the orange juice with mixing the original batter slowly taking breaks to also add the flour mixture gradually.
8. Once the batter feels homogenised pour it in the pan.
Cake Style Vasilopita
9. Wrap a coin in foil and drop it into the batter making sure the top of the pan is smoothed out with a spatula before you bake it.
10. Bake for 60 minutes.
Cake Style Vasilopita
11. Stick a toothpick or tester through the body of the cake to see if it comes out clean. Let the vasilopita cool in the pan for 10 minutes and transfer onto a wire rack or plater.
Cake Style Vasilopita
12. Dust with the cacao and garnish with the icing sugar and/or coconut flakes on top before serving (optional).
Cake Style Vasilopita
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