Vaselopita (Greek New Years Cake Recipe – Greek Special
A delicious vasilopita recipe (Greek New Years cake) infused with the aromas of oranges and garnished with a thick and glossy vanilla glaze! Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake served at midnight on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the life of Saint Basil. After baking the cake, a coin is inserted through the base and when cut the person who finds the coin is said to be granted luck for the rest of the year!
- Prep Time15 min
- Cook Time50 min
- Total Time1 hr 5 min
Vaselopita - Greek New Years Cake Ingredients :
- 6 eggs
- 250 gr of unsalted butter
- 125 gr of margarine
- 400-450 gr of sugar
- 1 cup of condensed milk (for better flavor we use condensed milk, you can replace with regular milk)
- 60 ml of brandy or cognac (we recommend Greek Metaxa).
- 500 gr of self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (liquid or powder)
- zest of one orange (or lemon)
- a pinch of salt
- icing sugar to decorate
- a small coin wrapped in aluminium foil
How to Make Vaselopita - Greek New Years Cake:
Separate the whites from the yolks, set the yolk aside and put the 6 whites in a big bowl with a pinch of salt.
With a mixer, using high speed, mix until you obtain a firm meringue (when you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks
will hold), set the meringue aside.
Take another bowl and mix the butter (which you have left out of the refrigerator for a few hours) and the sugar.
Add the yolks one by one and keep mixing until you have incorporated them.
Only now, incorporate the milk, the brandy, the vanilla, and the lemon zest
Now you can add the flour little by little.
Once all these elements are incorporated into a soft batter, start adding the meringue. Do not use the mixer to avoid the meringue to soften, do it with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, little by little and with soft movements to also incorporate some air.
Use a 32 cm cake pan that has previously been buttered and flowered. Add the batter to the cake mould and the small coin that you have previously wrapped in aluminium foil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 °C for 45 to 50 minutes.
Let it cool and decorate with icing sugar on top.
