Traditional Greek New Years Cake Recipe Vasilopita

VASELOPITA - GREEK NEW YEARS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 10 inch round cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Stir in the flour and mix until the mixture is mealy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the baking powder and milk, add to the egg mixture, mix well. Then combine the lemon juice and baking soda, stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle the nuts and sugar over the cake, then return it to the oven for 20 to 30 additional minutes, until cake springs back to the touch. Gently cut a small hole in the cake and place a quarter in the hole. Try to cover the hole with sugar. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
• Serve cake warm. Each person in the family gets a slice starting with the youngest. The person who gets the quarter in their piece, gets good luck for the whole year!

VASILOPITA -THE GREEK LUCKY NEW YEAR'S CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Line the base of a 9-10 inch springform pan with wax paper and grease the sides.(You can use an even wider pan for a thinner cake-it will take less time to bake)
• In a bowl mix the flour and baking powder and set aside.
• In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter.
• Add the orange juice, vanilla and orange zest- mix with a mixer about 2 minutes.
• Whip the eggs in a small bowl and add to the butter mixture and mix for another 2 minutes.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix for 2 minutes at low speed-do not over mix. If you are adding the coin in the batter, add it now.
• Pour batter (it will be thick) in the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
• Bake for about 45-60 minutes. Check with a thin sharp knife in the center, it should come out clean. If not bake for additional time.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Release the pan and turn cake upside-down on another plate. If putting the coin in now, wrap in foil and push it through the cake. Turn cake back on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar, you can also even out the top of the cake slicing with a long knife.

VASILOPITA - GREEK SAINT BASIL'S NEW YEAR'S CAKE

Steps:

• Clean! Silver or gold coin wrapped in aluminum foil (a quarter works well).
• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10 inch round cake pan with 1 Tbs butter.
• In a medium bowl, cream the cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar together until light in color. Stir in the flour and mix until the batter resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the eggs one at a time, blending each one in well.
• In a small bowl combine the baking powder and milk, add to the cake batter and mix well. Finally combine the lemon juice and baking soda in a small bowl, add to the cake batter and mix well. Pour the cake batter in to the greased cake pan, insert the foil wrapped coin, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle the nuts and 2 Tbs sugar over the cake, then return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until the cake springs to the touch. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes then invert the pan on to a cake plate.
• Ideally the cake should be served warm; each person gets a slice of the cake starting with the most senior member. Members of the Greek Orthodox Church believe that whoever gets the coin is blessed.

GREEK NEW YEAR'S CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350.
• 2. Cream soft butter, sugar and egg yokes.
• 3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda alternating with orange juice. Add anise.
• 4. Beat egg white and fold into batter.
• 5. Transfer to a greased pan (I use a 10 inch cheesecake spring pan), place a dime wrapped in tin foil into the batter and place in oven. Bake for 45 min to 1 hour.
• 6. When cake raises a little brush with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top, continue to bake.