Vasilopita - Greek New Year's Cake

4.60 (79)
⏱ 90 mins 🍽 ['12', '1 (10-inch) cake'] 🌶 greek 🏷 Dessert

Vasilopita is a classic Greek cake baked to celebrate the New Year. It is traditionally served for breakfast on New Year's Day, with a coin hidden inside to bring the finder good fortune for the coming year. This recipe yields one 10-inch cake, requiring about 90 minutes to prepare and bake. The cake is flavoured with lemon and topped with almonds and sugar before serving warm.

Vasilopita - Greek New Year's Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 cup blanched slivered almonds
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly grease a 10-inch round cake pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until pale. Mix in the flour until the texture is crumbly. Incorporate the eggs individually, ensuring each is fully combined before adding the next. Blend the baking powder with the milk and add this to the egg mixture. Stir the lemon juice and baking soda together and fold into the batter. Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.
  3. Bake the cake for 20 minutes. Take it out and scatter the almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top. Return it to the oven and continue baking until the surface springs back when pressed, for about 20 to 30 more minutes. Carefully make a small slit in the cake and insert a coin, then conceal it with some of the topping sugar. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a serving plate.
  4. Present the cake while it is still warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories447 kcal
Fat20 g
Sugars37 g
Protein8 g
Sodium287 mg

Recipe details

CategoryDessert
Cuisinegreek
AuthorPaul Menikos