Greek Fanouropita: The Cake for Lost Things (Vegan)

An easy vegan cake with warm fall spiced flavors!

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Greek Fanouropita is known as the cake for lost things. It’s made every year on August 27^th to celebrate “the saint for lost things,” St. Fanourios. This moist and aromatic cake is usually small, round, and made with simple ingredients. It doesn’t have eggs or dairy, so it’s naturally vegan, but it does have warm cinnamon and clove spices. You can put anything you want in it, like nuts, dried fruit, and even chocolate. I make it throughout the year because it is so delicious and comes together in just a few minutes. Let me know what you put in your Fanouropita!

Why you’ll make this cake all through fall

• Soft, moist spiced cake
• Citrusy orange
• Warm cinnamon and clove spice
• Chewy, sweet raisins
• Slightly crunchy walnuts
• Everyone will love this quick and easy vegan warm fall no-fuss spiced cake!

Greek Fanouropita ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground cloves
• Zest of an orange –always zest before juicing

The Wet Ingredients

• Light olive oil –or light vegetable oil
• Granulated sugar
• Orange juice -two clementines or one orange
• baking soda
• Pure vanilla extract –not traditional, but I always add it

Baker’s tip! Adding the baking soda to the orange juice helps it dissolve and prevent bitterness in your cake.

Optional add-ins

At this point, you can bake the cake as is, but there are endless possibilities for add-in combinations. I’ve added walnuts and raisins for this recipe, but you can leave them out and just add chocolate pieces. Or you can add your favorite nuts and dried fruit. Here are a few suggestions:

• Ground walnuts –pecans, almonds, or pistachios
• Raisins –cranberries, dried cherries, dates, or figs
• Confectioner’s sugar for garnish

How to make Greek Fanouropita, aka The Cake for Lost Things

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
• Grease and line a 10-inch (25 cm) round baking pan with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest in a bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil and sugar.
• Mix the baking soda with the orange juice, and then add it to the oil mixture.
• Whisk together and add vanilla extract.
• Next, add the flour mixture and whisk together until incorporated.
• Place the walnuts and raisins in a bowl with 2-3 teaspoons of flour and toss to coat.
• Add the nuts and fruit to the batter and fold in until incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 55-65 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
• Run a knife around the border of the cake to release it from the pan and allow it to cool.

Serving

Once your cake is cool, transfer it to a serving platter or cake stand. You can serve it as is or dust a pretty pattern on top with powdered sugar. A doily stencil or any stencil you like will create a beautiful design. I like to use one of my actual doilies. Place the stencil or doily on top of your cake and dust it with powdered sugar. Then, carefully remove the doily leaving the beautiful design behind. Don’t forget the hot Greek coffee when you serve it. Kali Orexi!

More Vegan Desserts:

• Tahini Chocolate Coconut Cake
• Moustokouloura: Grape Molasses Cookies
• Tahini Cookies
• Vegan Brownies
• Roxakia

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Greek Fanouropita: The Cake for Lost Things (Vegan)

Yield: 10-12 servings

This moist and aromatic Fanouropita is made every year on August 27th (St. Fanourios Day) to honor the patron Saint of Lost Things. I make it throughout the year because it is so delicious and comes together in a few minutes.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups (410g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• the zest of an orange

The Wet Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups (350g) granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional:

• 1/2 cup (70g) ground walnuts
• 1/2 cup (75g) raisins
• confectioner's sugar for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.

Grease and line a 10-inch (25 cm) round baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest in a bowl and whisk everything together.

In a large mixing bowl combine the olive oil and the sugar amd whisk together. Mix the baking soda with the orange juice and add it to the oil mixture. Whisk together and add vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture and whisk together until incorporated.

Place the walnuts and raisins in a bowl and add 2-3 teaspoons of flour and toss to coat. Add to the batter and fold in until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 55-65 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick that is inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.

Run a knife around the border of the cake to release it from the pan and allow to cool.

Transfer the cake to a serving dish and dust with confectioner.

Kali Orexi!

Notes

Substitute the walnuts and raisins with your favorite dried fruit and nuts or with chocolate chips.

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