Vassilopita is a traditional Greek cake or bread with a coin inside, named after St. Basil, which is made for New Year’s Day. Vassilopita is made in two ways. One is a sweet kind of brioche bread called “tsoureki” and the other an orange flavoured cake.
Christmas
Galopoula Gemisti, is the Cypriot stuffed roasted turkey which is filled with finely chopped chicken giblets, rice, almonds and raisins.
Royal icing or frosting is a type of dessert icing which dries to a hard, glossy finish. It will be solid white when dry, unless it is coloured. This simple icing can be used for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and a range of other baked goods.
Melomakarona are olive oil cookies, bathed in honey syrup, with walnuts and cinnamon, which traditionally, are made during the holiday season of Christmas and New Year.
These Cypriot Kourabiedes are similar to the Greek ones but they are made with spry shortening, which makes them soft and fluffy.
Christopsomo, which translates as “Christ’s Bread”- pron. Christopsomo also named kouloúra tou Christoú (round bread of Christ), is usually a round loaf often made with the same ingredients as Easter bread. Raisins, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are just a few of the taste treats found in this traditional sweet loaf.
A time-tested traditional Christmas cake recipe which is filled with homemade fruit preserve, as well as nuts, raisins brandy and treacle.
This Almond Roulade is made with sponge cake which has been covered with toasted almonds. In Greece we call this dessert kormos (roulade), which means log as it resembles like a tree log.