With this recipe, you can make a traditional Greek pastry to celebrate the feast day of Saint Basil, which coincides with the New Year! If you bake it with a coin in it, whoever gets the slice with the coin is said to have good luck for the coming year.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• 1 coin wrapped in aluminum
• Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Grease a 9-inch pan
3. In a large bowl, mix flour and baking powder
4. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth
5. Add orange juice, vanilla and orange zest to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until combined
6. Whip eggs and mix into the butter mixture for a couple of minutes
7. Turn your mixer on low and slowly add your flour mixture into your wet ingredients
8. Pour your batter into the greased pan and smooth
9. Bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean
10. Let rest until cool to the touch
11. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired