Vasilopita. The Vasilopita is a Greek New Year's Bread. It is made in honor of a beautiful act of charity by St. Basil to the poor and needy of his flock.
You can have Vasilopita using 10 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you achieve that.
Ingredients of Vasilopita
- Prepare 600 g of sugar.
- Prepare 600 g of flour.
- You need 300 g of butter.
- It’s 300 g of cold milk.
- You need 6 of eggs.
- You need 3/4 tbsp of cream of tartar.
- Prepare 3/4 of tsp baking soda.
- Prepare 1 of small cup of brandy.
- It’s 1 of vanillin (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract).
- It’s of orange zest.
Combine the baking powder and milk, add to the egg mixture, mix well. Vasilopita, or Greek New Year's Bread, is a sweet yeasted egg bread scented with orange and traditionally served on New Year's day. A coin is hidden inside and whoever gets it has good luck for the year. After baking the vasilopita 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!
Vasilopita step by step
Beat the butter till it is properly creamed and then add the sugar and combine well..
Separate the eggs and add the yolks one at a time. Then add half of the milk and all the flour and vanillin..
While continuing stirring, add the rest of the milk where we've already put the cream of tartar and the whites of the eggs beaten to a meringue..
Add the baking soda with the cognac and the zest, last..
Place in a buttered pan and bake for about 1 hour at 200°, depending on your oven. If it is a strong one, bake at 180 and allow a bit more of baking time. Anyway, since every oven is different and baking time also depends on the pan, do the test with the knife and let it in the oven till the knife comes out clean..
Greek New Year's Cake - Vasilopita Greek New Year's Cake Did you know that instead of Santa Claus in Greece we have Saint Basil? It's the same guy with the red uniform and long white beard who brings the Christmas gifts and climbs down the chimney. Vasilopita is a cake with a lucky coin inside traditionally consumed on New Year's Eve in Greece Here's a traditional recipe to make the favorite New Year's Greek cake aka Vasilopita. 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.
