Fanouropita (Greek Spiced Raisin Cake)

"Aghios Fanourios (Saint Fanourios) is the saint of revelation - that is why he is often depicted carrying a candle. Also, he had a sinful mom. In Greece, we bake this delicious raisin cake for his saint's day and offer it to guests. It is traditional to say 'God forgive Saint Fanourios' mom' before eating it (what DID this woman do?). I'm sure my kids will create a similar cake for me (it will contain chocolate, I'm sure) so that people can ask for me to be forgiven of my sins. ;-) BTW, there are no eggs in this cake, and no butter, making it suitable for the Lenten fast."
 
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photo by Dienia B. photo by Dienia B.
photo by Dienia B.
photo by Donna Luckadoo photo by Donna Luckadoo
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
13
Serves:
12-15
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Butter and flour a 12-inch, round cake pan or a 9x13x2-inch baking dish.
  • Mix the flour with the spices.
  • In a bowl mix the oil, sugar, orange juice, brandy and the orange zest.
  • Mix well.
  • Add the flour, the raisins and the walnuts.
  • Mix well.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan.
  • Bake the cake (it is called a'pie'- pita' in Greek) for 45 min to an hour (tester inserted comes out clean).

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Reviews

  1. This was, in short, FABULOUS. I made it when my grandmother came to dinner and she asked for the recipe! Can you believe it!? So easy to put together and wonderful flavor. I didn't use brandy and used regular raisins. We served with a dallop of fresh whipped cream on the top. Will definitely make again!
     
  2. The cake was awesome; I received lots of compliments when I took it to a Greek night pot-luck. I did play with it a little though. For the oil I used a combo of olive oil and coconut oil to take advantage of those wonderful medium chain fatty acids that are supposed to cure just about everything. Instead of brandy, I used "Sabra" an Israeli chocolate-orange liquor plus I added a 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips besides the raisins and instead of walnuts, I used pecans. Evelyn, you may not recognize your cake, but it was yummy none the less. Thank you for posting!
     
  3. Oh, Ev! This cake is to die for!!! The richness of the olive oil totally makes up for the fact that it is egg and dairy free. This will be a great item to bring to work for Friday treats.
     
  4. Great cake! I made it for a Greek recipe swap with my girlfriends. Everyone was surprised by the taste of the olive oil but most everyone thought it was a pleasant surprise. One taster suggested adding a pinch of salt. I might add more zest next time, too. Definitely use the brandy!
     
  5. This is different than anything I have ever had. It is light, fluffy and wonderful. I ended up using less than the full cup of raisins as it turned out that I was almost out. I will make this again and make sure that I have enough raisins! Thanks for posting!
     
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Tweaks

  1. The cake was awesome; I received lots of compliments when I took it to a Greek night pot-luck. I did play with it a little though. For the oil I used a combo of olive oil and coconut oil to take advantage of those wonderful medium chain fatty acids that are supposed to cure just about everything. Instead of brandy, I used "Sabra" an Israeli chocolate-orange liquor plus I added a 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips besides the raisins and instead of walnuts, I used pecans. Evelyn, you may not recognize your cake, but it was yummy none the less. Thank you for posting!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<style>body { background: url("http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3512121819_f2f1aaf050.jpg?v=0"); background-repeat: repeat-y; }</style> OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages! I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure. So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call. What did I do wrong? Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths. I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time. That's all for now.
 
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