Vasilopita — St Basil's Cake — is the Greek and Cypriot New Year's Day bread or cake, baked with a coin hidden inside that brings good luck to whoever finds it in their slice. The name comes from St Basil of Caesarea, whose feast day falls on January 1 in the Orthodox calendar. The preparation varies by region: in Northern Greece and Cyprus, vasilopita is a sweet bread (tsoureki-style, enriched with eggs, butter, and orange); in Athens and the islands, it is more commonly a fluffy cake flavoured with orange and mastic. The coin (a gold coin historically, a clean coin in modern practice) is wrapped in foil and inserted into the batter before baking. The ceremony of cutting the vasilopita — the family gathered, the cake cut into pieces assigned to Christ, St Basil, the house, and each family member in order of age — is the New Year's Day ritual that every Greek family recognises.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
IThe Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
300g
unsalted butter
room temperature
Your own market
200g
granulated sugar
Your own market
4
large eggs
Your own market
300g
all-purpose flour
Your own market
8g
baking powder
Your own market
120ml
whole milk
Your own market
10ml
vanilla extract
Your own market
60g
blanched almonds
coarsely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30g
sesame seeds
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
whole clove (for coin insertion
optional)
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 minutes; incorporate eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
2
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt; fold into butter mixture in three additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
3
Fold in vanilla extract and almonds until just combined.
4
Pour batter into parchment-lined 23cm round cake tin; smooth top and sprinkle sesame seeds evenly across surface (insert clove into bottom if using coin).
5
Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in center emerges clean.
6
Cool in tin 10 minutes; turn onto wire rack and cool completely before serving.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. Mastic must be powdered before use — pound the resin pieces in a mortar with a pinch of sugar (which prevents the resin from clumping) until completely fine
For the fluffy Athenian cake version: separate the eggs and fold beaten egg whites into the batter for a lighter result
The traditional decoration uses whole blanched almonds to write the year on the surface — pressed into the batter before baking
VII
Origin & Lineage
Greece and Cyprus; vasilopita traditions trace to St Basil of Caesarea (329–379 CE); the coin-in-cake tradition is documented from Byzantine times; the New Year's Day cutting ceremony is the oldest surviving food ritual in the Greek calendar.