Vasilopita (Greek New Year Cake)

By Gigirox

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Details

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2-In a large bowl, blend together the butter or margarine and the sugar. 3-Separate 3 of the eggs; add the yolks and the 2 remaining whole eggs to the butter mixture.Stir in the vanilla and water.
3-In another bowl, sift together the baking powder and flour. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
4-Whip 3 egg whites until they are foamy. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Continue to whip the whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Fold whipped whites into batter.
5-Pour the batter into a greased 10 x 4 inch tube pan. Wrap a large coin in foil, and place the coin in the batter. Press the coin down; it should be completely hidden. 10-Sprinkle the nuts and seeds on top of the batter.
6-Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack.