Easy Fanouropita Recipe (St Fanourios Cake)

5 from 5 votes

Easy Fanouropita Recipe (St Fanourios Cake)

Have you ever wished for something lost to come back to you? In Greece, there's a cake for that. Fanouropita, the legendary St Fanourios cake, is more than a dessert. This easy, oil-based, naturally vegan cake made with 9 ingredients, isn't just a sweet treat. It's a ritual that turns simple ingredients into a prayer you can taste.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Desserts, Sweets

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Diet: Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Makos

Ingredients

For the cake:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups caster sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla or vanillin capsule
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 orange the zest, see note#1
¾ cups olive oil see note#2
1 ½ cups orange juice
sesame seeds optional, for sprinkling the surface

For the tahini chocolate icing (optional):

½ cup tahini
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
4 tablespoons icing sugar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup water
7 oz dark chocolate 65% cocoa, chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Grease with oil and coat with flour a 10-inch (25 cm) diameter round baking pan then line it with baking paper.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, transfer the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Mix well with a whisk or even a fork.
Add the olive oil and the orange juice and whisk until combined.
Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and re-invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Icing - Optional: Transfer the tahini, maple syrup, icing sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a small pot or saucepan. While stirring, gradually add the water until the mixture is homogenized and smooth. Heat over medium heat until steamy, then remove from the stove and add the chopped chocolate. Let it rest for 1 minute and stir until the chocolate is melted. Let the icing cool and spread it over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Video

Notes

Note #1: First take the zest, then juice the orange

Note #2: You can also use a neutral vegetable oil such as sunflower oil, corn oil or avocado oil.

👉 This is a very tender cake that tends to stick to the pan, so lining the pan with parchment paper is highly recommended!

👉 I take the zest from the oranges first, and then juice them, so I count the zest and the juice as one ingredient (oranges). If you want to count them as 2 separate ingredients, just omit the vanillin.

👉 If you want to add raisins or chopped walnuts (as these are also used in some recipes) and still keep the ingredients nine, you can skip the vanillin.

👉 Fanouropita is usually cut into square or diamond (rhomboid) shaped pieces.

Storage:

This cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days and refrigerated for up to a week (let it come to room temperature before serving).

More Greek desserts to try:

⬇️ Read below for the St Phanourios prayer

Nutrition