Happy New Year to everyone and health and happiness in 2008!
I'll make this brief as I have guests arriving soon but I'd like to share with you the background behind Greeks' cutting of the New Year's cake, as related by Nancy Gaifyllia from www.about.com:
As the New Year rolls over, Greek families all over the world will share the tradition of cutting the Vassilopita, our Greek New Year's cake. January 1st is the name day (saint's day) of Aghios Vassilis (St. Basil), the Greek Santa Claus, and the cake is named in his honor. While Christmas is a more solemn occasion, January 1st is filled with celebrations and the exchange of gifts.
However it's fixed, cutting the Vassilopita is a celebration of wishes for the new year.
Each Vassilopita is baked with a coin or medallion hidden inside which, according to tradition, will bring great good fortune in the new year to the person who gets it, so the cutting is all-important and the focus of great scrutiny! Traditionally, pieces are cut ceremoniously by the head of the household and allocated to the church (Holy Trinity and Virgin Mary), then the head of the household (male), his wife, their children (oldest to youngest), other family members by degree of relatedness, then guests.Vassilopita
500 gr. unsalted butter
600 gr. sugar
650 gr. all purpose flour
12 eggs (whites & yolks separated)
2 shots of orange liquer
2 heaping Tbsp. of baking powder
zest of 2 oranges
Pre-heated 350F oven
- Whip your egg whites into a meringue and reserve.
- In a large bowl, use a mixer to blend the butter, sugar and add eggs, one at a time.
- Add the liquer and the zest.
- Add the flour and baking powder
- Slowly fold the meringue into the batter.
- Place a foil-wrapped coin randomly into the cake mix.
- Bake on the middle rack for 50 minutes.
- Let cool on a rack for an hour.
- Make a paper stencil of the new year you're celebrating, place it on the cake and dust the top of the cake with icing sugar. Remove stencil and reserve to cut at New Year's.
