Greek New Year's Day Cake -- Vasilopita Recipe

My first cake of the new year is our traditional Greek New Year’s Day cake known as Vasilopita. Scented with orange and cognac, this sweet cake needs no fanfare or elaborate decorating. Like me, many dust the top of the cake with some powdered sugar while others use almonds to decorate. Etching, stenciling or cutting out numerals to highlight the new year is also common.

Made in honor of Saint Basil, who is celebrated on the first of January, families cut the Vasilopita on New Year’s Day to bless their home and bring good fortune for the new year. A coin is placed in the cake just before baking and as Greek custom dictates, the individual who finds the coin in their slice of Vasilopita is blessed with luck in the new year.

Today I share with you my recipe for Vasilopita as well as my well wishes the world over for a happy and healthy new year!

Vasilopita — Orange Scented New Year’s Cake Recipe

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temp
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of milk, room temp
• 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from about 1/2 an orange)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and generously grease and flour a 10-inch round cake pan. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Add cognac and zest. Add the eggs, one at a time. Begin adding the flour, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place in oven. Bake for 5 minutes then drop foil wrapped quarter into cake if using a coin for New Year’s Day. Continue baking for another 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.