Fanouropita cake

Fanouropita cake
3.5/5 rating (50 votes)

Ingredients

  • 1kg self raising flour
  • 1tsp cinnamon powder
  • 250ml olive oil (you can also use sunflower oil)
  • 250g sugar + 2 Tbs
  • 12 Tbs orange juice
  • 200g ground walnuts
  • 150g golden raisins
  • zest of a lemon
  • 175g water
  • icing sugar (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. In a bowl mix the flour and the cinnamon.
    Beat the oil and the sugar in a bowl with a mixer until the mixture turns white.

  2. Add the orange juice, the water, the lemon zest mixing all the while. Add the walnuts and the raisins. Gradually add the flour and mix until you come up with a soft dough.

  3. Brush with oil a medium-size rectangular baking dish whose sides are approximately 28 -30cm. Pour the batter into the baking dish  and bake at 180° C for 30-40', or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the fanouropita cool, dust it (optional) with icing sugar and serve.

Tips

"Fa-nouropita" is traditional Greek cake ("pita") and took the name from St. Fanourios. According to the Greek Orthodox religious traditions the pita is prepared for asking the saint to reveal to someone a lost item, find a job for someone unemployed, deal on a lost cause, restore the health of someone sick, etc.  It’s also a nice cake with coffee.