Vassilopita
New Year’s Orange and Brandy Cake
Preparation info
Difficulty
Medium
Makes
one
10 inch round cake
Appears in
The Foods of the Greek Islands
Published 2000
ON NEW YEAR’S EVE or after the family lunch on the first day of the New Year, the father of the family cuts into this rich and aromatic cake, which has the year written in almonds on top and a lucky coin secreted inside. A piece is distributed to each family member, starting with the older ones, and whoever gets the symbolic coin is rewarded with a gift of money and starts the year with an advantage.
The basic recipe always contains orange juice, eggs, butter (a luxury in the old days) or margarine and brandy. Like our family, most islanders bake this fragrant cake just once a year. This is my mother’s recipe.
Serve on its own for breakfast or as a snack with coffee, tea or a glass of orange juice.
Ingredients
4 1 cup 2 tablespoons 12 tablespoons 1½ sticks 1¼ cups ½ cup 4 cups 4 teaspoons ¼ teaspoon - Grated zest of
1 - Grated zest of
1 - Whole blanched almonds
Method
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light yellow and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter or butter and margarine and beat for 1 minute more. Beat in the orange juice and brandy.
Whisk together the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and the zests in another large bowl. Add to the yolk mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
In a large clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently to even the top. Decorate the top with the almonds.
© 2000 All rights reserved. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.