The definitive Smyrna New Year’s crumbly cake
Baked in homes of Smyrna (İzmir) well before the Asia Minor Catastrophe and carried into Greek kitchens after 1922, Trifti Vasilopita represents an older Smyrniot New Year tradition. Unlike the tall, airy Politiki cakes of Constantinople, this version is crumbly, buttery, and citrus-forward, closer in spirit to a rich sablé. Its defining technique is the use of cold butter rubbed into flour, producing a fragile, sandy crumb, uncommon in mainland Greek festive cakes, yet familiar in Smyrniot domestic baking shaped by both Ottoman and European pastry practices. The flavour profile is restrained and elegant: orange, lemon, vanilla, but no heavy spices, no syrup, no icing.
This is a home cake, not a showpiece: understated, fragrant, and cut at midnight to welcome the New Year and reveal the flouri – a coin auguring good luck for the coming year embedded in the dough to be discovered by one of the family members or guests in their slice.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 40–50 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8–10
You will need
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 250 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Zest of 1 orange
- Juice of 1½ oranges
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2-3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1–2 tbsp brandy or cognac
- 1 coin (flouri) wrapped in baking parchment
For finishing:
- Light dusting of icing sugar.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand with small flakes. Do not overwork – the irregularity is essential to the trifti texture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until just combined (do not cream). Add the orange and lemon zests, juice, vanilla, and brandy.
Pour the wet mixture into the flour and butter crumbs. Fold gently with a spatula or your hands until a thick, slightly rough batter forms. It should not be smooth.
Grease and line a 24–26 cm round cake pan. Pour in half the mixture, place the wrapped coin near the edge (never the centre), and cover with the remaining batter. Smoothen lightly but do not compact.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, until lightly golden and when a skewer comes out clean. The surface should remain pale, not deeply browned. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmould. Dust lightly with icing sugar if desired. Cut and serve with coffee or tea.
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