Recipe: Yummy Vasilopita 3

Vasilopita 3. A delicious vasilopita (New Year's bread or cake) promising a feast of different tastes that go beyond the traditional ones. Recipe by ΠΕΤΑΛΟΥΔΙΤΣΑ Vasilopita (Saint Basil's Bread) One of the most beautiful and inspiring traditions and customs of the Greek Orthodox Church is the observance of Vasilopita. It is this annual family observance, together with many other traditions of our Church, which joins our Orthodox Faith and heritage with the history of the Christian religion itself.

The mother of the family brings in the Vasilopita and puts it on the table. We cut one piece for Saint Mary, one for Jesus, one for the house, one for the land, and then cut a piece for each family member. Vasilopita is a Greek New Year's cake with a coin or a trinket baked inside of it. You can have Vasilopita 3 using 10 ingredients and 16 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Vasilopita 3

1. Prepare 1 1/2 cups of margarine at room temperature.
2. Prepare 2 1/2 cups of sugar.
3. Prepare 6 of eggs, divided.
4. It's 4 1/2 cups of self-rising flour.
5. You need 2 tsp of baking powder.
6. You need 1/4 tsp of salt.
7. It's of the zest and juice of one orange.
8. Prepare 1 cup of roasted and coarsely cut hazelnuts.
9. It's 125 g of chocolate couverture or milk chocolate drops.
10. Prepare of icing sugar.

The cake is enriched with a sweet flavoring, symbolizing the sweetness and joy of life and hope that the New Year will be abundant in health and happiness. Traditionally, the cake is cut by a senior member of the family, and whoever receives the piece with a coin. To the reviewers who say that this is not a "real" vasilopita. It gathered everyone around the table (after all this much food, not even a drill seargeant could accomplish that feat faster and more efficiently), it reminded us that we share with "Christ" and with the poor, it brought to mind how to easily divide one.

Vasilopita 3 instructions

1. Beat the egg whites with half the sugar into a stiff meringue..
2. Using another bowl, beat the margarine with the rest of the sugar until they are fluffy..
3. Add the egg yolks one by one into the sugar - margerine mixture and fold to incorporate..
4. Then, add the zest and salt..
5. After mixing the flour with the baking powder so they are thoroughly integrated, add it to the mixture alternating it with the juice..
6. Then, add the meringue little by little folding it into the batter slowly and softly so that it doesn't fall flat..
7. Using a bowl, mix the chocolate drops and the hazelnuts with self-rising flour so that they don't fall to the bottom and stick during baking..
8. Add them to the mixture, stirring lightly..
9. Spread the mixture in a baking tray lined with well buttered greaseproof paper..
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 1 hour and 15 minutes..
11. To make sure that it is done, poke it with a thin wooden skewer. It should come out clean. Take care that it doesn't overcook..
12. When it is done and has cooled a little, turn it upside down in a platter and remove the greaseproof paper..
13. Push in the lucky coin, wrapped in aluminum foil, at the bottom of the vasilopita..
14. Turn it back and dust the top with sifted icing sugar..
15. You can decorate it by forming the year with chocolate glaze (melted chocolate with butter and sugar) or orange zest. An original idea is to use pomegranate seeds..
16. You can also tie a red ribbon around it..

Greek, Citrus, Clove, Flour, Dessert, Winter, Vegetarian. The person whose piece contains the coin is expected to have good luck and blessings for the upcoming year. There are many ways to bake a vasilopita. Some versions are very bread-like, and similar to the Easter tsoureki. I am giving you the recipe for this Vasilopita which is actually a very nice and tasty cake.