What We’re Cooking This Week: Vegan Cake for Lost Things

Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.

The Greeks make a cake called fanouropita, named after St. Phanourious, the Greek patron saint of lost things. Greeks and Greek Americans regularly bake this cake after they find a lost item, or if they hope to find something like a misplaced cellphone or a new spouse. Since it doesn’t contain eggs or dairy, it’s considered “Lenten,” or OK to eat during the 40 days of deprivation some Christians endure leading up to Easter. Heathens just call it vegan.

Most recipes call for orange juice and zest, but I borrowed from an Italian technique and tossed an entire orange into the Cuisinart. I also used some semolina, the coarsely ground durum wheat used to make pasta that’s also common in Mediterranean baking. I still haven’t found the pair of gloves I know are around the house somewhere, but the occasional slice of fanouropita gives me strength to keep looking.

Recipe

1 cup flour

1 cup semolina*

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher-style sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 orange, puréed (about 1 cup)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup golden raisins

*Semolina is coarsely ground durum wheat; Bob’s Red Mill brand is widely available, but you could use all plain flour instead.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit an 8- or 9-inch round, lightly oiled skillet or cake pan.

Cut the orange into quarters and blitz in a food processor until it’s nearly puréed (if you don’t have a processor, you can use a blender or chop it by hand into very small pieces). Transfer to a bowl and mix in the olive oil and sugar. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the walnuts and raisins, and stir together.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes until lightly browned, or when a wooden toothpick poked into it comes out clean. Let the cake cool, then invert the pan over a plate to remove it before cutting.