I have a vast array of cookery books, mostly Italian, a couple of Spanish and rather a lot of Greek ones, I just love Mediterranean food and I love the cultures and traditions of these beautiful countries.
One of my favourite books has to be Maria Benardis, My Greek Family Table, its so beautiful written, not only is it full of gorgeous recipes but Maria pulls you in with her fantastic tale of growing up in a Greek household, firstly on a small Greek Island and then in Australia, even far from home she evokes a feeling of never being far from Greece, traditions, food, family, friends and religion always keeping alive the culture she is so clearly proud of.
As we are now in August and it is still raining here in damp old Blighty, I thought I would bake this very meaningful cake and share with you its lovely meaning, you never know it may help us to locate our lost Summer!
August 27th is Saint Fanourios (fah-NOO-ree-os) name day, on this day a Fanouropita is baked and taken to church to be blessed. Saint Fanourios is the patron saint of the “lost and found” or the saint “who reveals all things” or lost causes, people and things. According to tradition, whenever a treasured possession is lost or you are looking for something, the seeker pledges to bake a fruit cake for Saint Fanourios in the hopes of finding it. Upon locating the item, the owner makes good his/her vow and presents a cake to his neighborhood church for blessings. After the service, the cake is distributed to the poor or whoever is at the church. I think this is just beautiful and I would love to be in Greece one year to see this event.
The recipe below is very simple and makes an extremely light cake, its a very grown up cake, not overly sweet, but perfect with a Greek coffee or a cup of tea. This recipe does not have any fruit in, as many recipes did that I found when I was doing some research, so next time I am going to add some sultanas, I will probably soak them over night in the orange juice.
If you don’t like olive oil this cake is not for you, the flavour is quite strong, but if you like the idea of this cake why not try a lighter olive oil or maybe even a rapeseed oil.
So how ever you bake it, with or without fruit, which ever oil you choose to use, I hope what you are looking for is found.
Link below to Maria’s book.
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1¼ cups fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 20–25 cm round cake tin with baking paper.
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.
Gradually add the fl our, mixing well, then add the walnuts, followed by the baking powder. Stir until well combined.
Pour the cake mix into the tin and bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 130°C and bake for a further 40 minutes or until cooked (a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean). Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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