Vasilopita Recipe

Vasilopita is Greece’s traditional New Year’s cake that is cut when the clock strikes midnight. With a lucky coin inside, each family member is given a piece of cake and the person who receives the coin is said to have good luck for the rest of the year! 

Ingredients

  • 6 x cups sifted self-raising flour
  • 2 x teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 x cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2.5 x cups white caster sugar
  • 6 x eggs
  • 1 x orange (grind & juice) 
  • 1 x teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 x tablespoons cognac or brandy
  • Icing sugar for dusting 
  • Flaked almonds (optional) 

Method

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
  • In a large bowl, combine the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix together with a whisk.  Set aside.
  • In another bowl whisk together the eggs, butter and sugar with electric mixer. Beat until well combined and smooth, approximately 3 – 4 minutes.
  • Then, add the orange rind and juice, vanilla extract and cognac/brandy.  Mix well.
  • Slowly add one cup of the flour to the bowl of the electric mixer. Mix well. Then, slowly add remaining flour.  Mix well, over low speed to prevent too much splattering.  When the ingredients have been combined, turn the speed to medium and continue beating for a another minute or two.  Your batter should be smooth and without any lumps.
  • Take a round (30cm) baking pan and grease the bottom and sides with butter.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  • Take a coin and wash it well.  Dry the coin and then wrap it in plastic wrap.  Set aside.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan.  Smooth out the batter so it is spread evenly in the pan.  Using a knife, make an indentation in the batter and slip the coin in. Be sure that the coin does not poke out the top or bottom of the vasilopita batter. Smooth the top once again and add flaked almonds (optional).
  • Bake your vasilopita in the middle rack of your oven for approximately 60 minutes or until baked through and lightly golden on top. 
  • Allow to cool in the cake pan for about 5 minutes and then remove it from the pan and allow it to completely cool on a cake rack.  Once it is fully cooled, sprinkle the top with some icing sugar and serve.

Xronia Polla! 

Homemade Bougatsa Recipe

Bougatsa is a traditional Greek sweet that consists of layers of crispy filo pastry, filled with a delicious creamy custard, and dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar.

Here is our much loved family recipe, which I first shared a few years back on my former food blog Flavours & Flair.

Ingredients

  • 1 x packet filo pastry (375 grams) Insights Greece - Homemade Bougatsa Recipe
  • 250 x grams unsalted butter
  • 1 x litre full cream milk
  • 1 x cup fine semolina
  • 1 x cup caster sugar
  • 4 x eggs
  • 1 x tablespoon vanilla sugar
  • 2 x tablespoons, fresh lemon juice
  • cinnamon sugar, for dusting
  • icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  • Add 100 x grams of butter into saucepan and allow to melt on low heat. Add the semolina and stir for one minute with wooden spoon. 
  • In a separate saucepan, heat milk and add to butter and semolina mixture. Slowly add sugar and stir consistently. Allow the cream to thicken and then turn off heat.
  • In a bowl, whisk eggs and when cream has slightly cooled down, add whisked eggs into cream mixture with vanilla sugar and lemon juice. Stir quickly, so no lumps form in the cream.
  • Melt remaining butter and lightly grease large baking dish.
  • Place half the filo pastry on the bottom of the dish one by one, brushing each sheet of filo pastry with melted butter. 
  • Pour entire custard cream on top of filo and spread across entire dish.  
  • Using the rest of the filo pastry, begin placing each filo pastry on top of custard mixture, brushing each sheet again with melted butter until you have used up the entire packet.
  • Fold in the edges and make sure you brush the top filo layer with melted butter.
  • Bake in a 200 degrees (preheated oven) for 30 minutes, or until filo is golden brown.
  • Allow to slightly cool and dust with cinnamon and icing sugar to serve.  

Recipe and Images by IN+SIGHTS GREECE © (Copyright)