Happy New Year! Gluten Free Vasilopita

Happy New Year Everyone! To celebrate I have made a gluten free Vasilopita cake. Vasilopita is a cake or bread that is made to celebrate the first day of the new year in Greece and many other places in Eastern Europe. The cake contains a lucky coin and whoever gets the slice with the coin in will have good luck thrust upon them! I have received the coin quite a few times much to my delight!

But where does Vasilopita come from? Here is the story of Saint Basil. St. Basil was in a bit of trouble. The city was under siege. He needed help and urgently so he called on the citizens of Caesarea to help him raise a ransom payment to stop the siege of the city. The people of the city gave generously with whatever they had in gold and jewels. When the ransom was raised, the enemy was so embarrassed by this act of kindness that he called off the siege without collecting payment. St. Basil was then tasked with returning the unpaid ransom, but he did not have a clue which items belonged to which family. So he baked all of the jewellery into loaves of bread and distributed the loaves to the city, and by some miracle, everyone received their exact share, or so the legend goes.

So who will receive the lucky coin this year?

 You will need: 

250g butter

grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon or orange

2 tablespoons lemon juice

550g caster sugar

6 medium eggs or 5 large eggs

150g gluten free self raising flour

300g buckwheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

250ml milk

35g pistachios, chopped

35g walnuts, chopped

40g blanched almonds, chopped

For the topping:

35g pistachios, sliced

35g walnuts, chopped

35g blanched almonds

55g sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients of the topping together in a bowl and mix well.

What to do:

1. Lightly grease a deep 28cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

2. Melt the butter and add caster sugar. Whisk until light and fluffy.

3. Slowly add in one egg at a time and whisk.

4.  Fold in the flour, the baking powder and the milk a little at a time ‘slowly slowly’. (My dads phrase)

5. Add in the lemon rind and lemon juice.

6. Add in all the chopped nuts and mix thoroughly.

7. Transfer mixture to baking tin (a rubber spatula is very handy)

8. Place the coin at the top, it usually will sink to the bottom (I have tried covering the coin in flour but alas it still sinks.)

9. Bake at 180° C for 30 mins then take out and sprinkle on nuts and sugar to cover the top of cake

10. Cover with tin foil and cook for another 30 mins.

11. Remove tin foil and let the cake bake for a further 5/10 mins until golden brown.

Check cake is baked through thoroughly with a cake tester

Let the celebrations begin! καλή χρόνια!

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Gluten Free Vasilopita

Traditional Greek New Years Day cake. Who will receive the lucky coin? 

Author The Gluten Free Greek

Ingredients

• 250 g butter
• grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon or orange
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 550 g caster sugar
• 6 medium eggs or 5 large eggs
• 150 g gluten free self raising flour
• 300 g buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 250 ml milk
• 35 g pistachios chopped
• 35 g walnuts chopped
• 40 g blanched almonds chopped
• For the topping:
• 35 g pistachios sliced
• 35 g walnuts chopped
• 35 g blanched almonds
• 55 g sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients of the topping together in a bowl and mix well.
2. Lightly grease a deep 28cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
3. Melt the butter and add caster sugar. Whisk until light and fluffy.
4. Slowly add in one egg at a time and whisk.

5. Fold in the flour, the baking powder and the milk a little at a time 'slowly slowly'. (My dads phrase)

6. Add in the lemon rind and lemon juice.
7. Add in all the chopped nuts and mix thoroughly.
8. Transfer mixture to baking tin (a rubber spatula is very handy)
9. Place the coin at the top, it usually will sink to the bottom (I have tried covering the coin in flour but alas it still sinks.)
10. Bake at 180° C for 30 mins then take out and sprinkle on nuts and sugar to cover the top of cake

11. Cover with tin foil and cook for another 30 mins.

12. Remove tin foil and let the cake bake for a further 5/10 mins until golden brown.

13. Check cake is baked through thoroughly with a cake tester

14. Let the celebrations begin! καλή χρόνια!

♥

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