Vasilopita: Greek New Years Cake (Slow Cooker or Oven)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. 

This recipe for Vasilopita: Greek New Years Cake came from my podcast guest, Eleni Vonissakou. Make sure you listen to her episode A Wild Idea to Bring the Slow Cooker to Greece while you make her Vasilopita: Greek New Years Cake!   

This Vasilopita recipe comes to us from Eleni, author of The Greek Slow Cooker Cookbook. She explains to us that hiding a coin in the bottom of a Vasilopita is a New Year's Eve tradition in Greece. The hostess cuts a piece for each guest and whoever receives the piece with the coin may also be given a small gift. But to me, this is not the best part of the cake!

To me, the best part is that the cake is absolutely delicious! Eleni's Vasilopita recipe is firm, dense, but very moist, and filled with orange zest complemented by cardamom and ginger. I made this to photograph just two days before my birthday this year, and I liked it so much, I wanted it as my birthday cake!

Now, have you guessed from the title of this cookbook? Yes, indeed, this cake is made in a slow cooker! I doubted its success at first, but since I had tried other recipes from Eleni's cookbook and they were absolute perfection, I decided to trust her on this one. And I did not regret it. As Eleni explains, the slow cooker is actually a more forgiving and gentle way to make a cake. Just take a look at these pictures below - you'll see that the texture is absolutely perfect, thanks to Eleni's recipe. And you don't have to take my word for it on flavor - just try it! You won't regret it, I promise.

P.S. Looking for more cake recipes? Check out this recipe for Clifton House Tunisian Orange and Almond Flour Cake, or this recipe for Golden Sfouf (Egg-free Lebanese Tumeric Cake)!

Eleni's Memories of Making Vasilopita

It may be true that Easter is the most important holiday for Greek people, but Christmas and New Year are celebrated in equally good spirits. For the winter holidays, it's the sweets that take center stage, with Vasilopita being the star of the show.

-Eleni Vonissakou

Ingredients & Substitutions

• All-purpose flour - can be substituted with a one-for-one gluten-free flour
• Blanched almond meal - blanched means that the almonds are ground without the skin so it is finer than regular almond meal which is ground with the skin on
• Baking powder
• Powdered ginger
• Cardamom
• Butter - softened or at room temperature
• Sugar - I used white sugar, brown sugar will give it a bit more caramel-y flavor
• Eggs
• Orange zest
• Orange juice 

Sugar Glaze

• Powdered sugar or icing sugar
• Lemon juice

Instructions

• Whisk together all dry ingredients except the sugar.
• Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar, add in eggs and orange zest.
• Next, beat one-third of the flour mixture into wet ingredients, and half of the orange juice; repeat. 
• Transfer the batter to a slow cooker and cover.
• Cook on high for 1.5 or 2 hours. 
• Let the cake cool then turn it out on a cake stand.
• Make the sugar glaze and pour on top of the cake.

A Traditional Greek Cake Celebrating Saint Basil

On January 1st, Greek people and their family members come together to celebrate Saint Basil so they can have the blessings of St. Basil for the coming year. This is a long-standing, fun tradition that remembers the teachings of love and selflessness of St. Basil as well as a fun, Greek tradition of finding a lucky coin inside of a cake! Vasilopita in Greek Vasilios = Basil, and pita = cake/pie/flat so Basil Cake. 

The connection between St. Basil and Vasilopita (one version at least) originated when Caesarea--St. Basil's hometown--was under siege, and St. Basil organized a ransom to stop the siege and save the city. Every citizen gave what they had (jewelry or coins) for the ransom and when it was given to the outsiders, they were so embarrassed by the collective giving that they stopped the siege without taking the ransom. St. Basil didn't know which items belonged to which family so he devised a plan to bake the jewelry and coins in bread (now called Vasilopita Tsoureki which is a sweet bread) to return the wealth back to the families fairly. 

Today, Greek families who are a part of the Greek Orthodox Church, celebrate New Year's Day by making this New Year cake as well as other traditions such as singing, giving to the poor, and attending a church service. A hidden coin is baked inside of the cake and whoever gets the slice with the lucky coin will have good luck because you will receive St. Basil's blessing for the rest of the year. 

sources: Ascetic Life of Motherhood, Greek Reporter

Vasilopita Tsoureki (Sweet Bread)

As mentioned above, this is a Greek New Year’s bread that is probably a more traditional way of celebrating the New Year. Just like in Vasilopita, gold coins are also hidden in the bread. The bread version is the same as the cake version whereas typically the head of the household cuts the bread (or cake) three times in the sign of the cross to represent Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and those who are less fortunate. Each slice is then handed out to each member of the family starting with the eldest to the youngest. 

sources: Athens Insider, Greek Reporter

Equipment

• Stand mixer with whisk attachment 
• Crockpot OR slow cooker
• Large bowl
• Medium bowl
• Cake stand 

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More Cake Recipes

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Recipe

Vasilopita: Greek New Years Cake (Slow Cooker or Oven)

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5 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

Vasilopita is an orange cake traditionally made by Greeks on New Year's Eve and a coin is hidden inside for good luck.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 cups (170 g) all-purpose flour (lightly packed)
• 3/4 cup (85 g) blanched almond meal (lightly packed)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp powdered cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (110 g) butter, softened
• 1 cup (225 g) sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp (30 g) orange zest
• 7 tbsp (105 ml) orange juice, freshly squeezed

Glaze

• 2 cups (200 g) powdered sugar, lightly packed
• 3 -4 tablespoon (45-60 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

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Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

1. Make sure to listen to Eleni on The Storied Recipe Podcast, A Wild Idea to Bring the Slow Cooker to Greece, while you make her Vasilopita recipe!

Make The Recipe

1. Whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy or for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the butter/sugar is fluffy, slowly add in each egg, beating well between additions. Then add the orange zest and beat to incorporate.
4. Next, beat one-third of the flour mixture into the mixture, followed by half the orange juice, and repeat, beating in between each addition. Beat only until incorporated and no flour is visible. Don’t overmix at this stage because you will over-develop the gluten.
5. Next, make a sling for the slow cooker (I simply laid parchment paper in the bottom and sprayed it with PAM).
6. Transfer the cake batter to a slow cooker (*See Note 1). Lay a piece of paper towel or clean dish towel over the top of the insert, and put the lid on to secure it in place. The towel should not touch the batter but sit under the glass lid to absorb the condensation.
7. Cook on high for 1.5 or 2 hours, or until the top is set and a knife or toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean or with some dry crumbs.
8. Let the cake cool for a few minutes and turn it out using the handles.

Make The Glaze

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of orange juice. Whisk well, even if at first it looks like it needs more liquid. If it is still too dry, add a few more drops of juice and whisk it again. Do this until the glaze reaches the desired consistency. It should be runny enough for you to pour, but very slow-moving when you do.
2. After the cake has cooled completely, pour the glaze over the top and let it set.

Optional Toppings

1. I topped my cake with some slices of oranges, pieces of almonds, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs.

Notes

• Note 1: I recommend using a crockpot/slow cooker with a circular bottom if you want the shape of the cake to be circular
• Make sure to listen to Eleni on The Storied Recipe Podcast, A Wild Idea to Bring the Slow Cooker to Greece, while you make her Vasilopita recipe!

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Category: Christmas, Dessert
• Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Nutrition

• Calories: 481
• Sugar: 56
• Sodium: 242
• Fat: 19
• Saturated Fat: 8
• Carbohydrates: 75
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 7
• Cholesterol: 92