Vasilopita is a Greek cake that is prepared for New Year’s Day. This cake signifies good luck because it has a hidden coin or trinket baked right inside it. Whoever finds the coin in their slice is believed to have good luck for the coming year. Outside of just the idea of being blessed with the hidden lucky coin, the flavor of Vasilopita is so good. It is slightly sweet, and flavored with citrus zest, and sometimes cloves or cinnamon.
Why You’ll Love Vasilopita
- Fun: This is such a fun tradition that you can start with your family every new year. I used to love doing this with my family as a kid and it’s so nostalgic for me.
- Easy to Make: Vasilopita is so easy to make. It takes only about 15 minutes to prep, and then your oven does the rest of the work.
- Traditional: This recipe is a traditional Greek recipe, but even if you’re not Greek, you can make it a new tradition in your household.
Ingredients
Orange juice and zest
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
This cake gets its orange flavor from both freshly squeezed juice and the zest of one orange. I like using freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor. Zest your orange before squeezing it so you aren’t trying to grate an already-squeezed orange!
You’ll need ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of orange juice in total. Those are two parts of the same measurement, not two options to choose between. Measure the juice after squeezing rather than relying only on the number of oranges, since they won’t all give you the same amount.
Vanilla extract
Use pure vanilla extract for the vanilla flavor in this cake. The amount is 2 tablespoons, not 2 teaspoons. Orange and vanilla are both part of this Vasilopita’s flavor, so measure both before you start mixing.
Olive oil and butter
The batter uses ¾ cup of extra-virgin olive oil. The butter listed in the ingredients is for greasing the pan, not an additional fat to beat into the batter. You don’t need to cream butter and sugar together for this recipe; the mixing starts with the eggs and sugar.
Baking tips for Vasilopita
Use the specified pan
This recipe calls for a 10-inch springform pan. Greasing the pan and lining the bottom with parchment helps you release the cake before decorating it. Keep the pan size in mind if you’re tempted to use a smaller one: the batter will sit deeper, and the same baking time may not apply.
Pay attention to the mixing stages
The eggs and sugar should look creamy and pale after beating, which takes about 1–2 minutes. Use whole eggs; there’s no separating eggs or whipping egg whites for this cake.
Once the liquids go in, switch to low speed. Keep that low speed when adding the dry ingredients, and stop once everything is well combined. The batter is wet, so don’t add extra flour just to make it look thicker.
Check the center before taking it out
The recipe’s baking range is 35–40 minutes at 350°F, but the center still needs to pass the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake; it should come out clean. If it comes out with wet batter, keep baking and check again rather than taking the cake out just because the timer has finished.
The color of the top alone won’t tell you whether the center is baked. Use the toothpick check alongside the baking time, especially if your oven tends to run differently from the temperature you’ve set.
Leave time for cooling
Let the cake sit in its pan for 15 minutes before gently removing it to cool completely. That first rest is not the full cooling time. If you’re making Vasilopita for a gathering, allow time beyond the listed prep and bake time so you aren’t decorating a warm cake as guests arrive.
Adding the coin and decorating
For the hidden coin, follow the foil-wrapped method in the recipe card. Gently place the wrapped coin into the batter after pouring it into the pan, with the coin covered by batter. You don’t need to stir the whole cake mixture again to hide it.
Let everyone know there’s a coin inside before serving, and remove the coin and foil before anyone eats that piece. An adult should check children’s portions; coins are a choking hazard.
Once the cake is completely cool, dust the top with icing sugar and arrange the pomegranate seeds into the year you’re celebrating. The photos show examples from different years, so use them for the decorating idea rather than copying the numbers exactly.
Substitutions
For the closest match to this recipe, keep the flour, eggs, milk, and ingredient quantities as written. The options below let you change the oil, citrus, or finish without treating the whole recipe as interchangeable.
- Oil: Vegetable oil or avocado oil can replace the olive oil. Keep the amount at ¾ cup, and expect the choice of oil to affect the flavor.
- Orange juice: Bottled orange juice is an option if you don’t have freshly squeezed juice. Measure the same total amount: ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons. You’ll still need an orange for the zest if you’re following the main recipe.
- Other citrus: You can use other citrus juices for a different flavor, or lemon zest in place of orange zest. These make a citrus variation rather than the same orange-flavored cake.
- Topping: Icing is another way to finish the cake if you prefer it to the icing-sugar topping. Keep in mind that it changes the sweetness and the look of the finished cake, including the background for your pomegranate numbers.
How to serve Vasilopita
Cut the cake into 8–10 slices and serve it with coffee or tea. The orange and vanilla give you plenty of flavor without needing a separate sauce or filling.
For a New Year’s brunch, pair it with a Fresh Fruit Salad. A Cashew Cardamom Latte is another option if you want a warm drink alongside your slice. If you’re serving it as dessert, you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For another orange-flavored Greek bake, try my Portokalopita (Greek Orange Phyllo Cake).
How to store leftovers
Let the cake cool completely before putting it into an airtight container. The plain cake can be kept at room temperature for 3–4 days, so you can bake ahead and leave the icing sugar and pomegranate decoration until you’re ready to serve.
For longer storage, freeze the plain cake or leftover slices in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Freezing slices separately makes it easier to take out only what you need. Let them thaw before serving, then add the icing sugar and pomegranate seeds.
Common Questions
Orange zest is traditional, but you can also use lemon zest or a combination of citrus fruits.
Make the recipe three times and use three separate pans rather than putting all the batter into one large pan. A much larger cake isn’t covered by the baking time given here.
The recipe below uses all-purpose flour. If you want to try a gluten-free version, choose a baking blend specifically intended as a 1:1 replacement for all-purpose flour in cakes and follow the manufacturer’s guidance. Gluten-free flours aren’t interchangeable, and the texture and baking time may differ.
Yes! Some regions in Greece have their own unique variations of Vasilopita, such as adding nuts, raisins, or spices.
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Ingredients
- Butter to grease the pan
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 ½ cups all purpose Flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice, (about 2 large navel oranges)
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup whole milk
- zest from one orange
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 Coin – wrapped in tinfoil
- icing sugar
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Start Cooking- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 10 inch spring form pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the eggs and sugar and use a hand mixer to beat the eggs and sugar until creamy and pale in color, about 1-2 minutes.
- To the egg and sugar mixture add the olive oil, 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp orange juice, whole milk, orange zest and vanilla extract and mix together with the hand mixer on low speed to fully combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and gently place the foil-wrapped coin into the batter. Smooth out the top of the cake batter and then bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before gently removing it from the pan to fully cool. Once cooled, sprinkle icing sugar over top of the whole cake and then use the pomegranate seeds to make the new year number (i.e. 2025, 2026 etc) on top of the icing sugar (see photos in the blog post).
Notes
- The cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- If you love this recipe, try our Portokalopita (Greek Orange Phyllo Cake)
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40 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Easy to make and SO delicious!
thank you so much, Gretta!!!
For a non-Greek being complemented by my partners Greek family and friends as “the best vasilopita ever tasted” made the start to 2025 the best ever.
yes!!! I love to hear this!!!!!!!
A must make every year!!! Not only a fun addition to a new years celebration but the flavor and texture were so good! A recipe for any level of baker! This will be our new tradition! A family favorite!
thank you so much!!! this is so sweet of you!!
I love this recipe and will be using moving forward! The cake is fluffy, airy, and delicious! My kids said it’s the best one I’ve made. I also loved not having to use the big mixer.
this makes me so happy!!!!
This cake is a delight! So light & refreshing – the perfect way to start your new year!
You are so sweet, thank you so much Molly for the love!!!
I’ve tried several recipes for Vasilopita and this is my favourite. It’s not a gigantic cake like most of the others and is easy to make. (I wanted a cake that had less than 6 eggs.) The first bite was wow! – so delicious. The whole family loved it. This will now be my go-to annual recipe. Ευχαριστώ, Μαρία.
Thank you so much, Kathy!!!
I’ve tried lots of vasilopita recipes but by far Maria’s is the best one. It’s so moist and flavourful. The recipe is a keeper.
thank you so much for the love, Penny!!!
is it 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract? or 2 teaspoons? 2 tbsp seems like a lot?
2 tbsp as written!
Is it 1/2 cup of Orange juice or 2 tbsp? Both is listed but just one version used so far I can see. What is right please?
Hello there! Please read the instructions carefully. It’s both that you need. That is why we listed them. Let me know how it does for you!
If you do the recipe x3, how large should the pan be?
Hey Maria, I wouldn’t advise doing that. I would make the recipe three times and spared it amongst three pans!