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Vasilopita

Greek New Year Cake
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine Greek

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 1 cup Butter ( I use salted )
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup warm milk (110F)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp citrus juice ( see #1 below )
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar ( see #3 below )

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F
  • Grease a 10" cake or springform pan. Lining with parchment paper also works.
  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and floofy.
  • Stir in the flour, and mix until the mixture is fairly smooth.
  • Mix in the eggs, one at a time (see #2 below).
  • Stir the baking powder into the milk, add to the batter, and mix well.
  • Mix the baking soda and citrus juice, and quickly stir into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, add the coin ( see #3 ), and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes. Toothpick test after a total of 40, and test every 3 minutes after that.
  • Remove from pan, and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before dusting/glazing (see #4) and serving.

Notes

  1. Either orange or lemon works great, vanilla extract will do if you don't have citrus handy. A bit of zest is also a great touch.
  2. Some recipes call for less leavening, and making a meringue with the whites and folding in the other ingredients to make the cake more floofy. The jury's still out on which is better, but this version is the easiest I know.
  3. The lucky coin can be added halfway through the baking, by gently pushing it flat into the top of the cake, off to one side, or cutting a slit, adding the coin, and then covering the damage with the icing. The coin itself should be completely sterilized, wrapping it in foil isn't a bad idea, and you might be able to find an appropriate coin at your local Greek market.
  4. Instead of dusting with powdered sugar, you can finish this with a sugar glaze that's also infused with some citrus or vanilla.