Vaselopita

Traditional Greek New Year’s Day bread. Served as a coffe cake for breakfast. Each person in the family gets a slice starting with the youngest and progressing to the oldest. The person who recieves the slice with the quarter in it will have good luck for the whole year!

Original recipe makes 1 – 10 inch round cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

PREP

20 mins
COOK

50 mins
READY IN

1 hr 10 mins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a round 10 inch cake pan.
In a medium bowl, cream butter and 2 cups sugar until light; add flour and stir until mixture is mealy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Stir baking powder into milk then stir into flour mixture. Mix soda and lemon juice; stir into batter. Pour batter into greased pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with nuts and 1 tablespoon white sugar, then return to oven for 20 to 30 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and gently cut a small hole in the cake. Place a quarter in the hole, then sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over cake, making sure to cover the hole. Cool cake on a rack for about 10 minutes, then place a dish over the top of the pan and turn over. Serve warm.