Vasilopita, My Two Greek New Year's Breads - California Greek Girl

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If I could only choose!

I’ve been making both these recipes for years for my family on New Year’s Day. These two recipes have been in my family for two generations, if not more. Depending on my schedule and time frame for the week, I have an easy New Year’s Cake from my Thea Liza, or a more traditional yeast rising recipe for our New Year’s Eve Bread. They are two very different recipes. The bread takes all day to complete, but it makes enough loaves for 4-6 households. I always send home smaller pans for my family members. The bread requires that you start the night before making the starter for the next day.

Now, the alternative is the cake recipe! I’ve used both depending on the amount of time I have to bake. The cake is simply a butter cake and so easy to make. It does require a larger baking pan 12×3. It can be found at any baking supply store or a nearby Michaels or online. Here’s a link to Amazon. And don’t forget to place the wax-paper covered coin inside the cake pan, before adding the batter. Also, think about the stencil you may want to add illustrating the upcoming year. I print out the numbers from my computer, cut them out, and place them on the cake as a stencil before dusting with sugar. Or, you can use almonds, edible glitter, or candied designs to illustrate the numbers.

For the easy cake recipe, the link is here.

For the bread recipe, the link is here.

Three important tips:

Wrap a coin with foil or parchment paper and place it in the batter before baking.
Make a stencil for the cake recipe or use scraps of bread dough, to illustrate “2017” on the top.
Always select a piece for your house and the Lord!

Share with your family and friends and good luck in the upcoming year!