NEW YEAR'S GREEK CAKE

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a wonderful 2013, full of happiness, creativity, health and joy!

Let's start this year journey to Greek gastronomy with a tradition - Vasilopita - that is associated with Saint Basil's day, January 1. Vasilopita is a cake which contains a hidden coin. On New Year's Day families cut the Vasilopita at the family meal. A piece of cake is sliced not only for every member of the family but also for each visitor present at the time. Some families also cut slices for the Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the household. The coin receiver is supposed to have luck the coming year, sometimes a gift is also given.

Ingredients 
250 gr. butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar 
6 eggs 
1 cup of orange juice 
1/2 kgr. flour for all purposes 
1 glass of amaretto liqueur or another liqueur of your choice 
1 pinch of salt 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 cup nuts like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts (chopped coarsely) 
1/2 cup chopped finely dried fruits 

For the chocolate icing
250 gr. dark chocolate
100 gr. butter 
2 tbsps. honey 
Steps 

First put the dried fruit in the liqueur to soak.

Melt the butter over low heat for a while. 

Use the food processor to blend the melted butter with the sugar and the salt until they become fluffy. Separate the eggs. 

Add the yolks to the mixture one by one and continue beating the mixture till combined well. Stir in the orange juice. 

In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour and the baking powder to the creamy mixture. Combine them well and finally add the liqueur, the fruits and the nuts. Stir.

Whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Fold gradually the whipped eggs to the mixture and stir gently. 

Pour the mixture into a greased 30 cm. round cake pan. Wrap a coin in foil. Then place the coin in the Vasilopita. Press the coin down so as to be completely hidden. Smooth the surface using a spatula. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack. 

While waiting till our cake cool, prepare the chocolate icing. In a bain marie melt the chocolate, the butter and the honey. Stir. Cover the cake while the glaze is still warm. You can also decorate the cake with sugar paste or other decorations - just use your imagination!

Good luck and Greek Debt to Gastronomy wishes you a year full of sweet moments! 

BACK TO SCHOOL AND VILLAGE

When I was child, I considered myself to be terribly unlucky to come from Greece, famous for its beaches and islands but born and lived my childhood so far from the sea. This may be surprise for many people since it is widely believed that Greece is only islands and Athens. Over the years I have appreciated more my village. Nowdays, when I have enough time, I visit my little village which has only some  dozen residents where I enjoy the beautiful forest its serenity, the sounds of birds and the smell of the earth. The calmness that it provides is priceless. On my return to city I always carry with me a lot of local products such as fruits, vegetables, greek yogurt, pies, eggs, cheese and goat milk.  The last time I went to my village I returned with 4 storage boxes full of very juicy and sweet plums. After I gave some to my friends, I decided to make a jam and a plum cake with nuts and chocolate. Plum cake is energizing and delicious and ideal for snack or breakfast for the children  (since schools have opened again!) Give it a try and you won't regret it!!

Ingredients

For cake

1 ½ cup green plums chopped at small pieces
1 cup mixture of nuts
1 tablespoon of baking soda
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup vegetable butter
½ cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup hot water
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cinammon

For chocolate icing

225 gr. bitter chocolate¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brandy (optionally)


Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a regular cake pan. Chop the mixture of nuts in a food processor. Put the chopped plums in hot water and wait till the temperature of water gets room temperature. Strain the plums for a while. Dissolve the baking soda in lemon juice. Beat the eggs slightly. Pour the sugar, the flour, the cinnamon and the pinch of salt in a bowl and combine them together till mixed well. Add dissolved soda to the mixture. Add the mixture of nuts and process using a mixer. Add butter, plums and milk and process some minutes more. 

Spread the mixture in the cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or test it using a toothpick. (Poke the toothpick in the middle of the cake and if they toothpick is dry it means that it is ready.) 

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie at low heat. Add butter, cream and brandy and mix well using a wooden spatula till your mixture becomes smooth. When cake and chocolate icing cool, spread chocolate icing over cake.