GREEK VASILOPITA

Greek Vasilopita image

This is our family's New Year's cake. A coin is baked in the cake, and the person who finds the coin in their slice is has good luck for the year; they also get a prize.

Provided by Diane

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Greek

Time 1h30m

Yield 14

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 ¾ cups white sugar
5 eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup blanched slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, blend together the butter or margarine and the sugar. Separate 3 of the eggs; add the yolks and the 2 remaining whole eggs to the butter mixture. Stir in the vanilla and water.
In another bowl, sift together the baking powder and flour. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
Whip 3 egg whites until they are foamy. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Continue to whip the whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Fold whipped whites into batter.
Pour the batter into a greased 10 x 4 inch tube pan. Wrap a large coin in foil, and place the coin in the batter. Press the coin down; it should be completely hidden. Sprinkle the nuts and seeds on top of the batter.
Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 368.8 calories, Carbohydrate 46.8 g, Cholesterol 101.3 mg, Fat 17.8 g, Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 6.2 g, SaturatedFat 9.2 g, Sodium 154.4 mg, Sugar 25.4 g