Vasilopita Recipe (Greek New Years Eve cake)

This classic Greek cake is traditionally served on New Years day. It contains a hidden gold coin in it and tradition has it that whoever finds the coin has a year of good luck ahead!

I put my wholefoods spin on this recipe by making it gluten free and refined sugar free. I hope you enjoy it…and good luck in finding the coin! 

Prep time for 1 cake: 15 minutes 

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Cake ingredients:

• 6 eggs

• 250g activated almonds

• ½ cup (160g) raw honey

• 125g extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

• Zest of one lemon

• Zest and flesh of one orange

• 10 drops of Young Living orange essential oil
  

Orange syrup:

• Juice of one orange

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 120 degrees fan forced. 

2. Line a cake tin with removeable base with baking paper (a long strip of baking paper around the sides of the tin and a circular piece on the base. I draw a circle around the tin on a sheet of baking paper (preferably unbleached) and cut it out. Use a little olive oil on the sides and base of the tin to stick the paper down).

3. Grind up the activated almonds in a nut/spice/coffee grinder or Theromix (speed 6 for 15 seconds) and put aside the almond meal into a bowl until ready to use.

4. Process eggs in food processor/Thermomix until colour changes to white (this will take approximately 3 minutes). If using a Thermomix use the butterfly setting for 3-5 minutes on speed 6 (although I’ve done it without the butterfly setting and it turns out just as fine). 

5. Add into the bowl of your food processor the rest of the cake ingredients and process until well combined.

6. Pour the cake mixture into a cake tin and throw into the mixture a gold coin wrapped in baking paper (baking paper is more natural/healthier than the aluminium foil that is typically used). 

7. Bake at 120 degrees Celsius for 1 hour or until such time as a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

8. To make the orange syrup process the 2 syrup ingredients together until well combined (I do this just before the cake is cooked).

9. Immediately after cake is cooked and while still in the tin, prick top of cake with a fork or skewer multiple times and pour over the cake the orange syrup to allow syrup to absorb into cake. Take the cake out of the tin when cooled. Remove the ring then carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter with a large metal spatula.  

10. Decorate with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut.

11. Cut cake into a cross then cut each of the quarters into half to serve 8.
    

NOTES:

Only 1 batch will fit into food processor at a time. If making 2 cakes, don’t put 2 batches into food processor. Process each batch separately and pour into 2 separate tins. Put the first cake on a plate until the second cake is made in case there is any seepage from the cake tin onto your bench. Add an extra 15 minutes of cooking time.  If wanting to make a double cake in one tin (for double height), process each batch separately in food processor and pour into 1 cake tin (this will take more time – approx. 15 minutes- to cook). 

This cake keeps for 1-2 days outside the fridge depending on the weather (and 3-4 days in the fridge).