This Vasilopita recipe comes to us from Eleni Vonissakou, Author of The Greek Slow Cooker Cookbook and my guest for Episode 052 of the podcast. 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.
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Episode Related to This Vasilopita Recipe
Visit the episode post:
New Year's Vasilopita with Entrepreneur, Cookbook Author, and Blogger Eleni Vonissakou
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
How To Connect With Eleni Vonissakou, Author of The Greek Slow Cooker Cookbook
Website: The Foodie Corner
Instagram: @thefoodiecorner
Buy The Greek Slow Cooker: Easy, Delicious Recipes From The Heart of the Mediterranean
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Vasilopita Recipe (from The Greek Slow Cooker Cookbook, with permission)
Difficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes1
hour30
minutes1
hour50
minutesThis orange and almond flavored cake is must have for Greek New Year!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups 1 ¼ (170 g) all purpose flour, lightly packed
¾ cup ¾ (85 g) blanched almond meal, lightly packed
1 teaspoon 1 baking powder;1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon 1 powdered cardamom
¼ teaspoon ¼ salt;½ cup (110 g) butter, softened
1 cup 1 (225 g) sugar
3 3 eggs
2 tablespoon 2 (30 g) orange zest
7 tablespoon 7 (105 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- Glaze
2 cups 2 (200 g) powdered sugar, lightly packed
3 3 -4 tablespoon (45-60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice” ]
Make a sling for the slow cooker (I simply laid parchment paper in the bottom and sprayed with PAM)
Directions
- Whisk the flour, almond meal, baking powder, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, for about 10 minutes. Slowly add each egg to the butter mixture, beating well between additions. Then add the orange zest and beat to incorporate.
- Next, beat one-third of the flour mixture into the egg mixture, followed by half the orange juice and repeat, beating in between each addition. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat only until incorporated and no flour is visible. Don’t overmix at this stage.
- Transfer the cake batter to the slow cooker. Lay a piece of paper towel over the top of the insert, and put the lid on to secure it in place. The paper towel should not be touching the batter, but just sitting under the glass lid to absorb condensation.
- 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. Let the cake cool for a few minutes and turn it out using the slink “handles”.
- To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with 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.
- After the cake has cooled completely, pour the glaze over the top and let it set.
Notes
- Make sure to listen to Eleni on The Storied Recipe Podcast, New Year’s Vasilopita with Entrepreneur, Cookbook Author, and Blogger Eleni Vonissakou while you make her Vasilopita recipe!
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