Fanouropita is the pie of Agios (Saint) Fanourios and is a Lenten cake made in memory of the Saint, who is celebrated on August 27, and is offered congregant in the church as a blessing.
It has also prevailed as a custom to offer the fanouropita as a reverent gesture of the Greek Orthodox Christians to help them find (reveal to them) lost objects, persons and also even a job!
My parents’ house is near the church of Agios Fanourios, where I was also baptized as a baby. Almost every afternoon, all year round, before vespers, fanouropites are taken to the church to be blessed.
The characteristic of this cake is that apart from the fact that it must be Lenten (vegan), it must be made with either 7 or 9 ingredients only, like the recipe I give you below.
This recipe has the special feature of containing aniseed. A spice that I learned to use from my Godmother, Teresa, who was from Constantinople, today’s Istanbul. This slightly modified recipe of fanouropita is also hers. Aniseed gives a very nice aroma and has health benefits, as it helps digestion and bloating, and stomach health in general. Let’s not forget that it is also the basic ingredient for Greek ouzo.
Tip: Check off the ingredients you have used in the recipe or note the ingredients you have and add the rest to you shopping list to buy them. - Attention: All ingredients must be checked that are Gluten-Free and without traces of gluten.
Abbreviations: g=grams • kg= kilograms • cup=250 ml • tsp= teaspoon=5 ml • tbsp= tablespoon=3 tsp=15 ml • ml= millilitre= (1ml=0.034 fl oz / 1fl oz=29.6 ml) • l=litre/liter=1000ml
Boil enough water with anise and make plenty of decoction of anise.
Separate 50 ml of that (water in which we have boiled anise) and at the rest add to the raisins to swell.
Preheat the oven to 175°C/330°F.
Pour the oil, anise decoction, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl.
Stir them with a whisk until the sugar melts.
In a large glass, pour the orange juice and soda, mixing them with a fork directly above the bowl with the mixture, until the soda foams and maybe spills into the mixture.
Add the rest that is left in the glass, to the mixture and whisk them.
Finally, add the sifted flour, salt and drained raisins and mix them all well with a spatula.
Line a greaseproof paper on 20 cm/8” inches baking pan and pour the mixture there.
Bake it for 30 Minutes and leave it with the oven closed for another 15 Minutes.
Let it to cool and serve it with icing sugar.
Ingredients
Directions
Boil enough water with anise and make plenty of decoction of anise.
Separate 50 ml of that (water in which we have boiled anise) and at the rest add to the raisins to swell.
Preheat the oven to 175°C/330°F.
Pour the oil, anise decoction, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl.
Stir them with a whisk until the sugar melts.
In a large glass, pour the orange juice and soda, mixing them with a fork directly above the bowl with the mixture, until the soda foams and maybe spills into the mixture.
Add the rest that is left in the glass, to the mixture and whisk them.
Finally, add the sifted flour, salt and drained raisins and mix them all well with a spatula.
Line a greaseproof paper on 20 cm/8” inches baking pan and pour the mixture there.
Bake it for 30 Minutes and leave it with the oven closed for another 15 Minutes.
Let it to cool and serve it with icing sugar.
- Aniseed gives a very nice aroma and has health benefits, as it helps digestion and bloating, and stomach health in general. Let’s not forget that it is also the basic ingredient for Greek ouzo. But if you don’t like it, replace it with water.
- We usually make patterns for the decoration with icing sugar. However, it is not necessary to put icing sugar on top.
- I suggest to use gluten-free flour patisserie Mix C by Schär for best results.
Good Luck and Bon Appétit!!!
Did you make this recipe?
I don’t want to miss any of your creations!
Take a photo & upload it to Instagram tagging me @vivoglutenfreecom so I can also be proud for you.
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