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

Helen Goh
Helen Goh

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

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.

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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

  1. 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).

  2. Step 2

    Combine the orange juice and sultanas in a small mixing bowl and leave to macerate.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

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Helen GohHelen Goh is a chef and regular Good Weekend columnist.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/recipes/saint-phanourios-cake-aka-fanouropita-with-orange-apple-and-walnut-20240819-p5k3hj.html