VASILOPITA

Yield: 12 servings

1 coin, such as a quarter 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 heaping tablespoon baking

powder Pinch of salt 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) butter,

room temperature 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (1

large orange) 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2

lemons) 1/4 cup brandy 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup blanched almonds, finely

chopped Powdered sugar, for dusting 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 113/4-inch springform cake pan. Thoroughly wash the coin with soap and water until it is impeccably clean. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl. 2. Whip the butter and sugar together with handheld beaters in a large bowl

until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each one. Beat in the vanilla and the orange and lemon zests. In turn, fold in one-third of the dry ingredients, the brandy, another third of the dry ingredients, the milk and the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the almonds. Scrape into the springform pan. Drop in the coin, trying to keep it upright, not flat.

3. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire cake rack to cool completely.

4. Put a doily on top of the cake and dust with powdered sugar before removing it to reveal a lacy pattern. You can also cut a stencil of the numbers of the new year and dust that.

Per serving: 402 calories; 18 g fat; 9 g saturated fat; 99 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 52 g carbohydrate; 27 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 168 mg sodium; 115 mg calcium Recipe from “Food from Many Greek Kitchens,” by Tessa Kiros