Greek Vasilopita Food

VASILOPITA - GREEK SAINT BASIL'S NEW YEAR'S CAKE

Steps:

• Clean! Silver or gold coin wrapped in aluminum foil (a quarter works well).
• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10 inch round cake pan with 1 Tbs butter.
• In a medium bowl, cream the cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar together until light in color. Stir in the flour and mix until the batter resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the eggs one at a time, blending each one in well.
• In a small bowl combine the baking powder and milk, add to the cake batter and mix well. Finally combine the lemon juice and baking soda in a small bowl, add to the cake batter and mix well. Pour the cake batter in to the greased cake pan, insert the foil wrapped coin, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven, sprinkle the nuts and 2 Tbs sugar over the cake, then return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until the cake springs to the touch. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes then invert the pan on to a cake plate.
• Ideally the cake should be served warm; each person gets a slice of the cake starting with the most senior member. Members of the Greek Orthodox Church believe that whoever gets the coin is blessed.

VASILOPITA (GREEK NEW YEAR'S BREAD)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in one cup of warmed milk with one teaspoon sugar. Allow to double in volume for 10-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together 7 cups of flour, the salt, and the 3/4 cups sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. When the yeast has finished doubling, add to the well in flour mixture, as well as olive oil, 4 beaten eggs, the rest of the milk, and the orange zest.
• Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is smooth.
• Turn dough out on a well floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky.
• Place in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the top. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
• Punch dough down and divide into two portions. Knead each for a few minutes and place in two well-oiled 9-inch circular pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size for about one hour in a warm place.
• Using a very sharp knife or clean razor blade, carve decorative patterns into the top of each loaf, such as with lines radiating out from the center.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each loaf with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes or until the tops of each loaf turn a deep chestnut brown.
• Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack after removing it. At this point, you can insert a clean coin into the bottom of the loaf using a toothpick or skinny knife to push it in.
• Cut into wedges and serve.

VASELOPITA - GREEK NEW YEARS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 10 inch round cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Stir in the flour and mix until the mixture is mealy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the baking powder and milk, add to the egg mixture, mix well. Then combine the lemon juice and baking soda, stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle the nuts and sugar over the cake, then return it to the oven for 20 to 30 additional minutes, until cake springs back to the touch. Gently cut a small hole in the cake and place a quarter in the hole. Try to cover the hole with sugar. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
• Serve cake warm. Each person in the family gets a slice starting with the youngest. The person who gets the quarter in their piece, gets good luck for the whole year!

VASILOPITA -THE GREEK LUCKY NEW YEAR'S CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Line the base of a 9-10 inch springform pan with wax paper and grease the sides.(You can use an even wider pan for a thinner cake-it will take less time to bake)
• In a bowl mix the flour and baking powder and set aside.
• In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter.
• Add the orange juice, vanilla and orange zest- mix with a mixer about 2 minutes.
• Whip the eggs in a small bowl and add to the butter mixture and mix for another 2 minutes.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix for 2 minutes at low speed-do not over mix. If you are adding the coin in the batter, add it now.
• Pour batter (it will be thick) in the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
• Bake for about 45-60 minutes. Check with a thin sharp knife in the center, it should come out clean. If not bake for additional time.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Release the pan and turn cake upside-down on another plate. If putting the coin in now, wrap in foil and push it through the cake. Turn cake back on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar, you can also even out the top of the cake slicing with a long knife.

GREEK VASILOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, blend together the butter or margarine and the sugar. Separate 3 of the eggs; add the yolks and the 2 remaining whole eggs to the butter mixture. Stir in the vanilla and water.
• In another bowl, sift together the baking powder and flour. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
• Whip 3 egg whites until they are foamy. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Continue to whip the whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Fold whipped whites into batter.
• Pour the batter into a greased 10 x 4 inch tube pan. Wrap a large coin in foil, and place the coin in the batter. Press the coin down; it should be completely hidden. Sprinkle the nuts and seeds on top of the batter.
• Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack.

VASILOPITA (GREEK NEW YEAR'S BREAD)

Steps:

• Add the sugar, baking powder, olive oil, 1 cup of the grated cheese, and water to the large bowl of a stand mixer attached with a whisk. Whisk on low speed to combine.
• Remove the whisk and add the hook attachment to the stand mixer.
• Over medium-low speed, add the flour, one cup at a time. Knead for about 5 minutes or until you have a workable dough (it will be somewhat wet still).
• Cover the dough with a towel and set aside for now.
• Make the cinnamon mixture. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cinnamon, sugar, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
• Prepare and lightly grease the bottom of a 10-inch round springform pan.
• Divide the dough into 11 equal size portions and form them into balls (you may need to flour your hands or a clean surface to help you shape the dough without sticking too much).
• On a clean lightly floured surface, working with one ball of dough at a time, use a rolling pin and roll out the dough to a thin 10-inch round. Place the first round of dough on the bottom of the prepared pan. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon mixture and follow with a generous sprinkle of grated romano cheese.
• Repeat with two more layers of dough. If you're adding the coin for good luck, wash it well and dry it then wrap it in a piece of foil and place it on top of layer of dough you just laid down.
• Continue shaping the dough balls into 10-inch rounds and layering the dough rounds on top of each other in the pan, making sure to brush each layer with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture and grated cheese until the very last layer.
• Lay the last layer of dough on the very top. Combine the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water (or milk) and whisk. Brush the last layer of dough with a little melted butter and the egg wash. Finish with a sprinkle of the sesame seeds.
• Heat the the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the vasilopita is a rich golden-brown. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before moving it from the baking pan to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

VASILOPITA

Steps:

• To Prepare:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and a 4-inch round cake pan.
• To Make the Cake:
• Combine the almonds, brown sugar, and honey in a small bowl, and set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mahlab in a medium bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, and mix well.
• To Bake the Cake:
• Divide one-third of the nut mixture between the two prepared pans, scattering it in an even layer over their bottoms. Fill the smaller (4-inch) pan two-thirds full of batter, then pour half of the remaining batter into the larger (9-inch) pan. Bake both layers for 20 minutes, until the cakes become a bit firm. Sprinkle half of the remaining almond mixture in an even layer over both cakes, and lay the coin on top of one of the partly baked cakes. Pour the remaining batter on top of each cake. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes.
• To Serve:
• Remove the cakes from their pans, and place the smaller one on top of the larger. Top with the remaining almond mixture, and serve warm.