Everyone has their New Year’s Eve traditions. Many people watch the big ball drop from Times Square, others make special foods, and mostly everyone enjoys eating something special. One new tradition that I learned about this year is eating 12 grapes after midnight, each one representing a month of the New Year. If they are all sweet then you will have a happy and sweet year. If one is sour, then that month might be a little difficult.
In Greece on New Year’s Eve, every year we cut the traditional “Basilopita” or New Year’s cake. We place one coin under the cake and then cut the pieces. Whoever gets the coin in their piece is said to be lucky all year. Unfortunately I didn’t get the coin this year, but I can still share the memory with you.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
The juice and rind of half and orange
1 cup milk
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
1 cup sliced toasted almonds
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat sugar and butter together until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time. Then add the dry ingredients alternately with milk until they are all used. Add vanilla extract and slowly fold in sliced almonds.
Grease pan with butter and sprinkle some more sliced almonds evenly to make a thin layer in the pan. Pour cake mixture into pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Let cool in pan for about an hour. Place a plate on top of pan and flip onto plate (so that the almonds will end up on top).
You can use powder sugar with water to make a glaze, to write “2012” if you like. And don’t forget to
place a coin in the bottom.
Finally, cut after midnight to see who gets the coin!
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