New Years Cake

Vasilopita means St. Basil’s bread in Greek.  It is a traditional Greek bread or cake prepared for New Year’s Day . What makes this bread special is what’s in it.  All vasilopitas have one thing in common: each one contains a coin which is placed into the bread dough or cake batter by the person doing the baking. The coin is wrapped with aluminum foil, and as tradition has it, the person preparing it makes the sign of a cross over it, and with closed eyes, places the coin into the unbaked vasilopita.  After the vasilopita is baked, every person in the house receives a piece. The one who discovers the coin in their piece is supposed to have good  a good year.

New Year's Cake

 

: Explore with taste

Nutrition Information

• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 305

• Fat: 1 g
• Saturated fat: 0 g
• Trans fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 52 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 747 mg
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 19 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Recipe type: Bread

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• ¾ cup lukewarm milk
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1-1/2 tsp. grated orange rind (about 5 medium oranges)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4-1/2 cups plain flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. vanilla or (ground mastiha)
• ½ cup butter melted
• 1 egg for glazing
• Blanched split almonds

Instructions

1. Choose a coin to insert in vasilopita. Read the whole recipe.
2. Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup of milk and set aside. Preheat oven to 350f.
3. In a bowl, add the remainder ½ cup of milk, the eggs, orange rind and sugar.
4. Use a warm bowl and sift 3 cups of flour & salt. Mix in the wet milk-egg mixture and stir in to blend. Make a well in the center.
5. Pour in yeast mixture and stir to blending flour, gradually adding warm melted butter.
6. Mix dough with hands until it comes away from sides.
7. Turn on to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic adding
8. remaining flour as required.
9. Knead for ten minutes and create a ball.
10. Place ball of dough in a clean bowl and brush with melted butter.
11. Turn dough over to coat top with butter. Cover bowl with a cloth towel or plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
12. Punch down and turn on to lightly floured surface.
13. Knead lightly and shape into round loaf. Insert coin, place in a greased 10 inch deep cake pan, or use a cheesecake pan.
14. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
15. Glaze the top with well-beaten egg & arrange blanched almonds in numbers to denote the New Year pressing lightly.
16. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked when tested.
17. If bread browns too quickly, lace a piece of greased brown paper on top.
18. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Choose a coin.
Preheat oven to 350F
Read the whole recipe before executing

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