FLUFFY NEW YEAR’S VASILOPITA CAKE
Soft and fluffy traditional Greek vasilopita cake with orange zest vanilla and butter perfect for New Year celebrations.
TIME: 1 HOUR
DIFFICULTY: EASY
SERVINGS: 10-12 PIECES
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Calories
420
Fats
22 g
Saturates
13 g
Carbs
50 g
Sugars
28 g
Protein
6 g
Fibre
1 g
Salt
0.4 g
Nutrition values are estimated per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients used.
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
- 250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 250 g sugar
- 4 large eggs, 220–240 g without shells
- 120 g full fat milk
- 80 g freshly squeezed orange juice
- Zest of 2 oranges, orange part only
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or 2 sachets vanilla sugar
- 360 g all purpose flour
- 15 g baking powder, 1 heaped tbsp
- 2 g salt, ½ tsp
- 2 g mahleb, ½ tsp, optional
- 1 g ground mastic, optional
For serving
- 30 –40 g icing sugar or orange glaze, see below
Coin
- 1 coin wrapped in aluminum foil
Optional orange glaze
- 120 g icing sugar
- 20 –25 g orange juice
EQUIPMENT
- 24–26 cm round cake pan or 30 cm loaf pan
- Hand or stand mixer
- mixing bowls
- Fine sieve
- Cooling rack
METHOD
Preheat and prepare the pan:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C conventional or 160°C fan.
- Butter and flour the pan or line with baking paper.
Mix dry ingredients:
- Sift flour and baking powder together.
- Add salt and optional mahleb and mastic. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar:
- Beat butter and sugar for 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs:
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add vanilla and orange zest.
Combine liquids:
- In a bowl mix milk and orange juice.
Alternate dry and wet ingredients:
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ½ of the liquids.
- Repeat and finish with the remaining flour.
- Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
Add the coin:
- Pour half the batter into the pan.
- Place the wrapped coin near the edge, not the center.
- Cover with the remaining batter.
Bake:
- Bake for 45–55 minutes.
- Check at 45 minutes with a skewer. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
Cool:
- Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and cool completely on a rack.
Finish:
- Dust with icing sugar or glaze once completely cool.
Optional orange glaze:
- Mix until thick and pour over the cooled cake.
NOTES
- All ingredients must be at room temperature.
- Do not open the oven before 40 minutes.
- Overmixing at the end will make the cake dense.
- If browning too fast, loosely cover with foil for the last 10–15 minutes.
