Fanouropita Vegan Spiced Cake
This vegan spiced cake is perfect for celebrations or anytime you're in the mood for a delicious, healthy dessert.
- DF VG VE
Fanouropita is a spiced Lenten cake made in the name of Saint Fanourios, Patron Saint of Lost Things. Want to get a new job? Need to find your runaway cat? Saint Fanourios is the martyr you need to pray to! This cake has moved from religious practice to a regular bake in our house, and it is the perfect, healthier option to go with your mid-morning cup of coffee…
Fanouropita is a great vegan cake recipe too, as it lacks eggs and butter. Made to be blessed at church on August 27th in Saint Fanourios’ name, this recipe usually contains seven or nine ingredients (numbers holy in the Greek Orthodox Church and in broader Christianity); but the actual ingredients included vary across Greece. Saint Fanourios’ icon, and therefore his sainthood, was rediscovered on Rhodes, where I am from - so this is a Rhodes version of Fanouropita.
If you’re looking for a sweet treat to enjoy during your next coffee break or tea time, look no further than this delicious Fanouropita recipe. This spiced cake is made with an enriched dough that’s lightly sweeter than most other Greek pastries and can stand in as good enough breakfast muffins! Check out our blog about Saint Faniourios to read more about the Fanouropita tradition!
Ingredients
Tips
You may use sparkling orange juice (i.e. Fanta) in place of fresh orange juice and omit the baking soda.
For extra flavour and texture, you can add one cup of crushed walnuts.
If you want your cake to be extra sweet, add raisins. But before adding them, dip them in flour; if you don’t, they will sink to the bottom of the cake.
If you don’t have sweet red wine, use any red wine with 1 tsp honey in it.
To make this recipe alcohol-free, simply substitute the 120ml dessert wine with 60ml of water.
Directions
You will need about 55 minutes to make 16 servings of this recipe, which has approximately 330 calories each. Make sure you have all the ingredients and follow these 5 simple steps. If you have any questions, send me an email and I’d be more than happy to help!
Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves to a large bowl, and whisk until all ingredients are combined.
In a small jug, combine the baking soda with fresh orange juice and stir them for a few seconds. Once it starts fizzing, pour it into the mixture.
Next, add the oil and red wine to the mixture and stir until combined.
Oil up a cake pan (or baking dish) using a brush and pour the batter into it.
Sprinkle a generous amount of sesame at the top and bake in a preheated oven at 170ºC (340ºF) for 50 minutes.
Watch it step-by-step!
Fanouropita Vegan Spiced Cake
This is a cake to celebrate Saint Fanourios in Greek Orthodox tradition, but in our family it’s become a year-round staple! It’s slightly lighter and healthier than other cakes in my repertoire (making it the perfect accompaniment to my morning cup of coffee) and it’s also vegan, so it’s a great recipe to have up your sleeve.
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Whenever I make this cake, people always ask me for the recipe. Finally someone made it and uploaded their version on YouTube! Thanks for sharing Sevi!
I figured what better for reconnecting with lost Greek heritage than the “cake of lost things!”
This is a delicious recipe – and the substitutes provided work perfectly.
Rather than sesame seeds on top, I cut out stencils and sprinkled powdered sugar designs on top. It looked and tasted great! Family favorite.
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