Fanouropita from Maria Benardis

Fanouropita

(Recipe from My Greek Family Table by Maria Benardis, Lantern, )

This traditional pie is dedicated to Saint Fanourios This sweet cake is traditionally made, on the eve of Saint Fanourios’ name day, every 27 August. It is brought to the church of Saint Fanourios, where the priest blesses it with a special ceremony. After the Mass, the sweet cakes are cut and everybody shares pieces with each other. All patrons ask Saint Fanourios for help; however, before doing so they must ask for the saint’s mother’s sins to be forgiven. The wish for help can be to find anything at all — good health and happiness, lost items, lost relatives, peace, etc. The Fanouropita can also be made at other times of the year if someone wishes to ask Saint Fanourios to find something or someone for them.

Aside from the obvious benefit of having your wish granted, Fanouropita is extremely easy to make and is delicious served with some fresh cream whipped with a touch of cinnamon and a Greek coffee. I sometimes dust in with some icing sugar.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1¼ cups fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup sugar

3 cups self-raising flour

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 teaspoon baking powder 

100 grams of icing sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Place the olive oil, orange juice, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves a little.

Add the flour slowly while continuing to mix well. Then add the walnuts, followed by the baking powder. Continue stirring until the mixture is well combined.

Turn the cake mix out onto a round baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 130°C and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked. The cake is cooked when a knife inserted into the centre emerges moist but with no mixture sticking to it.