Some words:
Vassilopita is the greek traditional New years Eve cake and we use to bake a coin in it. At midnight and after the new year arrived, we cut the cake and we give a piece to everyone is invited that night to our table. The person that finds the coin,considered to be especially blessed for the New year.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh milk (warm)
1 yogurt
2 cubes fresh yeast or 4 envelopes dry yeast (which is not exactly the same but if you must ok)
5 eggs (at room temperature)
250 gr milk-butter (melted or if you cannot find then use butter like lurpak etc)
300 gr sugar
1 envelope mahlepi, crushed
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
1tsp salt
1 1/2 kg white flour (for all purpose)
1/2 cup blanched almonds.
Execution:
1.In a very large mixing bowl pour the warm milk and disolve in it the yeast. Add the salt and 1/2 cup of flower and mix well. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it in a very warm place to rise, about 1 hour.
2.While waiting beat the eggs with the sugar very well in an electric mixer or food processor and leave aside, again somewhere warm.
3. To the risen dough add the egg/sugar mixture, the yogurt, mahlepi, zest of lemon and orange and the melted butter warm. Knead untill all is well mixed adding slowly the remainder of the 1kg flower. If your dough is sticky add a little flower but be carefull not too much because we dont want it to be too tight.
4.Shape the dough into a ball, cover it with a towel and leave ite to double the sige in a really warm place. That will take from 4-7 hours.
5. Place the dought in baking pan which we covered with butter the bottom and the sides well and we just put inside the dough, a coin. We write with the almonds the year to come and we beat an egg yolk with a tblsp of water. We bruch the top of our Vassilopita with that mixture.
6. Bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees C) for about 40 minutes or until Vassilopitta looks well browned.
Secrets of succes:
It is best to leave all ingredients in room temperature the night before. The step where we put in a warm place our dough to rise is the tricky part and we have to think of a place really really warm. To check if your Vassilopita is ready put through it a very thin knife and take it out. If the knife comes out clean is ready. If your cake becomes brown really quickly cover it with aluminium foil.
Good luck!!!