Miracle Cake

 27th August The day of the Fiesta of Orthodox Saint Fanourios. Agios Fanourios

He is the finder of all things lost, from your purse to your peace of mind

There's a special cake, that's made for him, no eggs, no milk, no butter.  It's  a cake made to say thanks.  A cake which must be shared around with friends, strangers, neighbours and family. We have been given squares of this cake many times by acquaintances we hardly know, following the tradition. Neighbours have knocked on our door sharing it around the neighbourhood. 

I made the cake on his fiesta this year to say thanks on behalf of my daughter who had lost her purse, keys, cards, the lot.  All you have to do is pledge the cake and he opens your eyes, or in this case your ears.  2 minutes after promising to make a fanouropitta her phone rang, her  daughter had her purse. 

Then she offered some pieces to our friend Birgit whose husband couldn't find his watch.  It wasn't long before they found that too, under the bed, where they'd looked before of course

Many people would scoff, I probably did too, back then.  But Fanourios has proved his ability to guide our eyes straight to that lost object over and over again.  No one in our family scoffs. We believe. 

My fanouropitta 

K made a cut-out of a cross and it turned out very nicely

Daughter Danae didn't have time to bake so, as the one who made the promise, she bought the ingredients. I made the fanouropitta

Last year, niece Julie, who was here buying Poros Olive oil for the NZ market, lost the key to her hotel room. She had looked in her bag and along the road. As she'd been visiting us at the house I searched the car and the house. No key.  Then I thought, Agios Fanourios!  I promised to bake a cake if he showed me the key.  I kid you not, I went over to a chest of drawers by the door, where I had already looked, picked up a book and there was the key underneath it! 

Then there was my Greek ID card last year.  I had been searching for it for weeks.  I hadn't told anyone.  Didn't want someone to think I might be 'losing it' , and I don't mean the card.  I'd had a tight feeling in my stomach for days.  Finally that little light bulb lit up and I prayed fervently to Agios Fanourios.  Please, please, just one more miracle.  You guessed it.  The card turned up, almost immediately,  where I had put it weeks ago after filling out an official form.  I phoned the girls and told them with huge relief and an even bigger smile 'Yes, he did it again!'.

The story is that you bake the cake, hand it around, and those who eat it say a prayer for the mother of the saint, asking for her salvation.  Apparently she was a sinner, not a very nice person.   I don't think the church supports that tale but it seems a special way of saying 'thank you'.  A prayer for St Fanourios' Mum and  thanks to the saint himself.

He also will give you guidance, show a way forward and a solution to a problem.

The cake, or pitta as it's called, is made with either 7 or 9 ingredients.

    I usually use 7

Mix in a bowl

- 1 3/4 cups of orange juice (400 grams)

- 1 1/2 cups of sugar (300 grams)

- 3/4 cup of oil (180 grams)  Olive oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, whatever oil you've got or a mix of them

- 100 grams of raisins

- 1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon (kanella)

1/4 teaspoon of cloves (or sometimes I use a teaspoon of ginger instead)

Finally add

- 4 cups (500 grams) of Self Raising flour

Stir it all together.  Pour into a baking dish.  I line mine with baking paper because I hate washing baking dishes.

Say a little prayer

Bake at 170o C for 50 minutes in a normal oven or

170o C for 40 minutes on air, which is what I do.

When cool sift over icing sugar, cut into pieces and hand it around

A more modern version can be made with chocolate chips (not milk chocolate) 

And a lot of people add chopped walnuts