There is so much goodness packed in this tender, melt-in-the-mouth, vegan Greek New Year's Cake, called vasilopita. It is flavored with orange and almonds and is perfectly, but not cloyingly, sweet. It is also soft and moist and so delicious, you won't be able to stop at a slice. I baked this up as a bundt cake for a prettier look and you don't need any icing or glaze--just dust some powdered sugar over the baked cake for a showstopper.
Cultures across the globe have long cooked up certain dishes for luck as the calendar turns, and today I have for you one of my most favorite: this vegan Greek New Year's Cake.
I will start out by saying this is my version of a Greek New Year's Cake and I am not claiming any authenticity. I stayed faithful to the ingredients that are used in the Greek cake, which is called a vasilopita, but created my own recipe spinning off from my Vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake. From what I saw online, it is not as if there is a single version of a Greek New Year's Cake, and different cooks put their own spin on it. Some even call it a sweet bread and add yeast for the leavening. So--no harm done!
A fun story about this cake is that cooks used to add a coin to the batter (preferably a gold coin) for luck. I considered that, but then had frightful visions of Jay swallowing it, and decided against. Instead, I studded the cake with slivers of almonds, which tied in nicely with the overall flavor of the cake.
Whether you are superstitious or not about the new year, you will feel quite lucky biting into a slice of this cake! If you make it, I'd love to hear.
Why you will love this vegan Greek New Year's Cake
- It's delicious. You will fall in love with the flavor of this cake. It has subtle but definite notes of orange and almond and the crumb is so silky and tender, it will literally melt in your mouth.
- It's easy. This is a really simple batter, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Even if you are a new cook, you should be fine so long as you follow instructions.
- It's gorgeous. The oranges in the recipe add a lovely color to the crumb, and you don't even need a glaze or icing--just dust the cake with powdered sugar for a really pretty presentation.
- It's a one-bowl batter. You will need to blend up the oranges but otherwise there's not much cleanup.
Ingredients
- 2 oranges. You will use both the zest and pulp of the oranges.
- 1 cup sugar. Use any granulated sugar. I use vegan cane sugar.
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan yogurt (I used my homemade cultured cashew yogurt. You can use any unsweetened storebought yogurt.)
- ½ cup vegetable oil. I used avocado oil. Use any unflavored vegetable oil.
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. I like some olive oil in this recipe for a great Mediterranean flavor, but I used half avocado and half olive oil because a whole cup of olive oil would end up overwhelming the subtle orange flavor.
- ½ cup super fine almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sliced almonds. You can choose not to add these, but they add amazing flavor and a nice surprise in each bite.
How to make the Vegan Greek New Year's Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a bundt cake pan.
- Zest the oranges, then peel them and deseed if necessary. Blend the orange segments until you have a thick puree. You should have a cup of puree.
- Add the orange puree to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer along with the sugar, vanilla, yogurt and the oils. Mix using a hand mixer or a whisk, or on medium speed in the stand mixer.
- Add the almond flour to the bowl along with salt and nutmeg, if using. Then sift in the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda.
- Mix with a spatula first to keep the flour from flying all over, and then for 20 seconds in the stand mixer or with a hand mixer. If using a whisk, stop as soon as the batter comes together. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you don't have any dry streaks of flour.
- Stir in the sliced almonds, if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth with a spatula. This cake comes out fairly easily from the pan, once it has baked, but if you are new at this add a dusting of flour to the bundt pan after oiling it to ensure you can unmold effortlessly. You can also use a springform pan to bake this cake, which will make unmolding far easier.
- Let the cake stand on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife gently along the edges and the center tube of the pan. Place a plate on top and turn the cake upside-down quickly to unmold. You might need to tap gently on the pan.
- Place the plate with the cake on the rack and continue to cool. Once it has cooled, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
More yummy recipes for the New Year
- Chinese Longevity Noodles
- Vegan Hoppin' John
- Vegan Southern Collard Greens
- Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan Gumbo
Vegan Greek New Year's Cake
A vegan version of a Greek New Year's Cake, called vasilopita, flavored with orange and almonds. The cake is perfectly, but not cloyingly, sweet. It is also soft and moist and so delicious.
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Review Recipe
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 382kcal
Equipment
- 12-cup bundt pan
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup almond flour (finely ground or super fine)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- 2½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sliced almonds (optional, but very nice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a bundt cake pan.Zest the oranges, then peel them and deseed if necessary. Blend the orange segments until you have a thick puree. You should have a cup of the puree.
- Add the orange puree and zest to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer along with the sugar, vanilla, yogurt and the oils. Mix using a hand mixer or a whisk, or on medium speed in the stand mixer.
- Add the almond flour to the bowl along with salt and nutmeg, if using. Then sift in the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda.
- Mix with a spatula first to keep the flour from flying all over, and then for 20 seconds in the stand mixer or with a hand mixer. If using a whisk, stop as soon as the batter comes together. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you don't have any dry streaks of flour.
- Stir in the sliced almonds, if using.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth with a spatula. This cake comes out fairly easily from the pan, once it has baked, but if you are new at this add a dusting of flour to the bundt pan after oiling it to ensure you can unmold effortlessly.
- Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick near the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake stand on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife gently along the edges and the center tube of the pan. Place a plate on top and turn the cake upside-down quickly to unmold. You might need to tap gently on the pan.
- Place the plate with the cake on the rack and continue to cool. Once it has cooled, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Recipe notes
- Make sure you deseed the oranges, if necessary, before pureeing them.
- If you don't want to use a bundt pan, you can bake the cake in a 10-inch springform pan.
- You can use 1 cup of vegetable oil and skip the olive oil in this recipe, but don't use a whole cup of olive oil and skip the veg oil as the flavor of the oil would overwhelm the cake.
- The sliced almonds are optional, but they add a really nice surprise in each bite, so I recommend them highly.
- The Greek would use a spice called mahleb in this recipe. This is a plant native to the Mediterranean. Nutmeg makes a nice alternative but you can leave it out altogether.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 233mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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Alexia
Hello,
Do you think i could substitute the all purpose flour for gluten free flour and if so would you say the same quantities.
Thank you
Alexia
Vaishali
Hi Alexia, I haven't tried this with gf flour so can't say for sure, but I don't see why it shouldn't work. Substitute the same quantity!
Amanda
How much salt please?
Vaishali
1/2 tsp!
Sarita
Hi Vaishali,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Looks great! Could you give the exact quantities in grams and milliliter?
Vaishali
Hi Sarita, click on "metric" in the recipe box and it will convert the quantities for you! It's right next to the "ingredients" label.
Karin
Can this cake be frozen and then shipped? I live in Pennsylvania. My vegan niece lives in Asheville, NC. I ship cookies with good results but have never tried to send a cake. Thanks.
Vaishali
Hi Karin, it's hard to say as I've not done that. The crumb is tender so I would be a bit wary unless it was handled really carefully during transit.
Elaine
Good recipe, thank you! My only change was adding some cardamom and 1/2 tsp of almond extract, very delicious.
Vaishali
Awesome to hear--so happy you made it. Happy new year!
Linda K
This cake is amazing! It has a light, moist crumb, isn’t too sweet, and has a lot of orange and almond flavor. The almonds in the batter added a nice crunch. It’s going into my keeper file!
Vaishali
Hi Linda, so great you made it. Spot-on description of the cake. 🙂 Happy you liked it!
Meera
Can I substitute grapefruit for orange? I have so many grapefruits in my backyard, so this would be a great way to use them. Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Meera, I don’t see why not. Let me know if you try!
Sharon
Sugar is not vegan
Vaishali
Hi Sharon, sugar is a plant-based product. The controversy arises because some sugar around the globe, including in the U.S., can be refined using bone char, which is an animal product. The sugar does not actually contain the bone char, but the processing makes refined sugar unacceptable to ethical vegans. The good news is that you can easily find turbinado sugar and unrefined cane sugars and beet sugars that are completely vegan and safe to use. Most supermarkets and health food stores carry these, and you can find them online as well. Just be sure to read the labels.
Carole
This sounds amazing. Can you tell me the diameter of the Bundt tin please? I can find a tin 20cm across. Thank you - UK
Vaishali
Hi Carole, my bundt pan is 10 inches in diameter, so 25 cm across. Do you know the capacity of your tin in cups? The batter might fit if the tin is deeper. A 12-cup pan is needed for this, which is about 2.8 liters. You can also bake this in a 10-inch springform pan, or divide the batter between two 8-inch cake tins.
Sherry Sivo
Is the timing different if divided into two 8” pans?
Brenda K
Absolutely delicious! Due to tree nut allergy, I substituted coconut milk for almond milk and coconut flour for almond flour. And I used coconut vanilla yogurt. Perfect dessert with our Chinese cuisine. Thank you, Vaishali 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Brenda, those sound like great substitutions. Thanks for sharing, and so happy you loved it. Happy new year!
Vaishali
Hi Sherry, I'd advise you start checking with a toothpick after 40 minutes if divided into two pans.