Fanouropita (Vegan Saint Fanourios Cake for Lost Things)

Updated post.

I don’t eat nuts so I didn’t get to taste it but the rest of my family gave it the thumbs up and I thought you might want to try it. I’ll have to give it a nut-free whirl though as it’s vegan.

Nuts are optional by the way!

This isn’t a very sweet cake so would make the perfect breakfast on the go or snack.

This cake is rather special as it’s believed if you lose something precious, you should bake this cake in honour of Saint Fanourios and you’d surely find it. This is my father’s recipe.

Ingredients:

• 600g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 125g broken walnuts
• 500ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 300ml orange juice
• zest of one orange
• 250g caster sugar
• 2tsp cinnamon
• 125ml rosewater

To decorate

• 100g broken walnuts
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180. In a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and rosewater and mix lightly. Add the olive oil, orange juice and zest and mix well with a wooden spatula until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a 20cm round tin. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes. Place a skewer in and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Decorate with the walnuts and sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon.