Almond Vasilopita Cake: Greek Lucky New Year’s Cake

A delicious and fun Greek tradition!

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Every year I bring you a different version of vasilopita that I love, and this year it’s almond vasilopita cake. It’s a Greek lucky New Year’s cake, also known as St. Basil’s cake, with a coin baked inside. It’s traditionally served on New Year’s Eve, and whoever finds the coin is sure to have luck the entire new year. This almond version is one of my favorites because the almond adds a little bit of heartiness to the soft cake, it’s not too sweet, and the cardamom and orange flavors put it over the top. You’re going to love it!

Why you’ll make this all year

Hint of cardamom

Fresh orange

Nutty almond

Crunch of almond slivers

Soft and light cake 

A beautiful, soft, almond-flavored cake full of Greek tradition and fun!

Pulling everything together

The Wet Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter -softened
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Pure vanilla extract -good
• Almond extract -this has a strong flavor, so I wouldn’t use more 
• Large eggs -room temperature
• Plain yogurt -room temperature

The Dry Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour
• Almond flour -this adds heartiness to the cake  
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Zest of an orange -this adds so much freshness
• Salt
• Ground cardamom seeds or ground mastiha
• Almond slices
• A coin wrapped in foil
• Confectioner’s sugar for decoration

Swapping cardamom for traditional flavor

If you prefer more traditional vasilopita flavors, swap out the cardamom for mastiha/mastic gum. You can grind the mastic in a grinder, food processor, or with a mortar and pestle. Then, add a quarter teaspoon to the dry ingredients. I don’t recommend using more because mastic will come across as bitter if you use too much. Let me know which you prefer!

How to make Almond Vasilopita Cake: Greek Lucky New Year’s Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
2. Line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray the inside with pan spray or brush with melted butter.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract on low speed until combined. 
4. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, pale, and fluffy -about 3 minutes.
5. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time until fluffy. 
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until smooth.
7. Add the yogurt and beat on high speed until incorporated.
8. Whisk together the flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder, cardamom, orange zest, and almond slices until combined.
9. Add the flour mixture to the mixer in a few batches until just incorporated.
10. Then, pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. 
11. Insert the foil-wrapped coin into the batter.
12. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.
13. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan and set it aside to cool completely.
14. Invert the cake onto a cake platter and remove the parchment paper. 
15. Flip the cake back over and dust it with lots of confectioner’s sugar.

Decorate and Serve

The traditional way to decorate this cake is with lots of confectioner’s sugar. To add interest and beauty to it, I like to place a lace stencil on the top of the cake before dusting it with confectioner’s sugar. It creates a beautifully embroidered design. You can also top the cake with the following year’s numbers, fruit, curd, preserves, or anything else you prefer. Though no matter how you decorate it, it pairs perfectly with tea and coffee. So, be sure to have those hot and ready. Enjoy! Kali Orexi!

More Vasilopita Recipes:

• Vasilopita Sweet Bread
• Rose & Pistachio Vasilopita
• Chocolate Swirl Vasilopita Wreath

Continue to Content

Almond Vasilopita Cake: Greek Lucky New Year's Cake

Yield: Serves 10

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Ingredients

The Wet Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 5 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature

The Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (100g) almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• zest of an orange
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds or ground mastiha
• 1/2 cup almond slices
• a coin wrapped in foil
• confectioner's sugar for decoration

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.

Line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray the inside with pan spray or brush with melted butter.

In the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat until thick, pale, and fluffy. About 3 minutes.

Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until smooth.

Add the yogurt and beat on high speed until incorporated.

Combine the flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder, cardamom,orange zest, and almond slices. Whisk together until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the mixer in a few batches until just incorporated.

Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan. Insert the foil-wrapped coin into the batter.

Bake in the center rack of the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. It is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.

Run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan and set it aside to cool completely.

Invert the cake onto a cake platter and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake back around and dust with lots of confectioner's sugar.

Serve with tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Notes

Place a lace stencil over the cake and then dust the top with confectioner's sugar for an embroidered design.

Top the cake with the following year's numbers, fruit, or your favorite decorations.

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