Vasilopita 3. 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 cook Vasilopita 3 using 10 ingredients and 16 steps. Here is how you achieve that.
Ingredients of Vasilopita 3
- You need 1 1/2 cups of margarine at room temperature.
- Prepare 2 1/2 cups of sugar.
- You need 6 of eggs, divided.
- Prepare 4 1/2 cups of self-rising flour.
- You need 2 tsp of baking powder.
- It’s 1/4 tsp of salt.
- It’s of the zest and juice of one orange.
- You need 1 cup of roasted and coarsely cut hazelnuts.
- Prepare 125 g of chocolate couverture or milk chocolate drops.
- It’s of icing sugar.
The person who finds the coin hidden in his or her slice gets good luck for the year.⠀ Vasilopita is cut into pieces, after the new year is arrived or during the first day of the year, by the head of the household. The first slice is devoted to Christ, the second to Mary, mother of Jesus, and the third to the family's house.. Vasilopita, literally translated to "Basil's pie," is a Greek sweet bread traditionally eaten on New Year's Day in Greece. Dissolve yeast in one cup of warmed milk with one teaspoon sugar.
Vasilopita 3 step by step
Beat the egg whites with half the sugar into a stiff meringue..
Using another bowl, beat the margarine with the rest of the sugar until they are fluffy..
Add the egg yolks one by one into the sugar - margerine mixture and fold to incorporate..
Then, add the zest and salt..
After mixing the flour with the baking powder so they are thoroughly integrated, add it to the mixture alternating it with the juice..
Then, add the meringue little by little folding it into the batter slowly and softly so that it doesn't fall flat..
Using a bowl, mix the chocolate drops and the hazelnuts with self-rising flour so that they don't fall to the bottom and stick during baking..
Add them to the mixture, stirring lightly..
Spread the mixture in a baking tray lined with well buttered greaseproof paper..
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 1 hour and 15 minutes..
To make sure that it is done, poke it with a thin wooden skewer. It should come out clean. Take care that it doesn't overcook..
When it is done and has cooled a little, turn it upside down in a platter and remove the greaseproof paper..
Push in the lucky coin, wrapped in aluminum foil, at the bottom of the vasilopita..
Turn it back and dust the top with sifted icing sugar..
You can decorate it by forming the year with chocolate glaze (melted chocolate with butter and sugar) or orange zest. An original idea is to use pomegranate seeds..
You can also tie a red ribbon around it..
Served as a coffee cake for breakfast. Add remainder of milk, eggs, orange rind and sugar. The person whose piece contains the coin is expected to have good luck and blessings for the upcoming year. There are many ways to bake a vasilopita. Some versions are very bread-like, and similar to the Easter tsoureki.
