Our last recipe for the year celebrates a beautiful Greek tradition: Vasilopita. This fragrant walnut cake contains a hidden coin, bringing a year of fortune and prosperity to the lucky person who finds it in their slice.
Vegan, soy free | Serves 16 | DESSERT
Ingredients:
Wet:
- 70ml orange juice
- Zest of one orange
- 300ml water
- 130g vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 350g sugar
Dry:
- 100g walnuts
- 470g flour
- 1 level teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 level teaspoon of baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Decorate:
- 5 tablespoons of icing sugar
Steps:
1.Preheat the oven at 180°C.
2.Roughly chop the walnuts and set them aside.
3.Zest the orange inside the sugar and rub it with your fingertips. By doing so, we are infusing the sugar with the essential oils of the citrus, the sugar becomes fragrant and damp and it becomes a carrier of flavour throughout the cake.
4.In a large bowl, add all the wet ingredients and use a whisk to combine.
5.Sieve in the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
6.And before you start combine, add the walnuts as well.
7.Use a silicon spatula to fold in the mixture.
8.And add it into your mould, I'm using a Santa one, but a lightly greased 22cm (diameter) round baking tray would work as well.
9.Bake at 180°C for 40-50min or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
10.Let it cool down before you remove it from the tray and add the icing sugar.
Enjoy!
