Vasilopita (Greek New Year Cake)
A soft orange-scented cake with a hidden coin baked inside, cut at midnight on New Year's Eve for good luck.
- Time1 hr 15
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.38 a head
- Oven170°C (150°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Grease and line a 23 cm round deep cake tin.
- 2
Beat the butter and sugar for 4 minutes until pale and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each.
4 min - 3
Fold in the rest of the flour, baking powder, orange zest and vanilla, then loosen with the orange juice and milk to a soft dropping consistency.
- 4
Scrape into the tin and push the foil-wrapped coin into the batter anywhere you like. Level the top.
- 5
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
47 min 30 s - 6
Dust thickly with icing sugar, using a stencil to mark the new year if you like. Cut at midnight: the first slice for Christ, the next for the house, then everyone in age order. Warn guests about the coin.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
