Saint Phanourios cake (aka fanouropita) with orange, apple and walnut

Name: Saint Phanourios cake (aka fanouropita) with orange, apple and walnut
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: zest and juice (60ml) of 1 large orange; 100g sultanas; 250g caster sugar; 220ml light olive oil; 2 large eggs; 290g plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground cloves; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-2cm dice; 100g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped; 15g sesame seeds

Helen Goh

August 23, 2024

You won’t easily forget this cake “for lost things”.William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:6-8

Each year on August 27, the faithful Greek Orthodox bake a cake in honour of Saint Phanourios, their patron saint of lost things. Featuring walnuts and orange and spiced with cinnamon and cloves, it’s traditionally made without dairy or eggs. I couldn’t resist adding apple to complement the walnuts and eggs for richness (I hope Saint Phanourios will forgive me).

A little patience pays off: make this cake a day ahead to allow it to settle into a pleasingly dense and moist crumb.

Ingredients

zest and juice (60ml) of 1 large orange
100g sultanas
250g caster sugar
220ml light olive oil
2 large eggs
290g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-2cm dice
100g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
15g sesame seeds

Method

Step 1
Line the base and sides of a 23cm round tin with baking paper and preheat the oven to 165C fan-forced (185C conventional).
Step 2
Combine the orange juice and sultanas in a small mixing bowl and leave to macerate.
Step 3
Place the sugar and orange zest in a large mixing bowl and rub firmly between your thumbs and fingers for a couple of minutes to release the fragrant citrus oil. Add the olive oil and whisk well until the mixture turns opaque, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking well to combine.
Step 4
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a bowl, then sift into the egg and oil mixture. Add the apple, walnuts and sultanas (including the orange juice) and mix together until combined.
Step 5
Scrape the batter into the prepared tin, then scatter sesame seeds over the top. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the oven and onto a wire rack to cool completely. Turn out of the tin and cover with a plate or kitchen foil and leave for 24 hours before eating.