Saint Fanourios Cake for Lost Things (Fanouropita)

By
Lynn Livanos Athan
Lynn Livanos Athan
First-generation Greek American, Lynn Livanos Athan has published many recipes. She has culinary school training and teaches Greek cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/25/22
An Offering Cake in Honor of Saint Fanourios - Patron Saint of Lost Items

Lynn Livanos Athan
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
601 Calories
31g Fat
73g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 601
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 95mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 27%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 33g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 12mg 59%
Calcium 91mg 7%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 225mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Each year on August 27, the Greek Orthodox faithful bake a cake in honor of Saint Fanourios (fah-NOO-ree-os) and bring it to church to be blessed. Fanourios comes from the Greek verb fanerono, which means "I reveal." He is the "saint for lost things." Worshipers believe he can help them find what they're looking for, be it a lost object, a future spouse, or even a new meaning in life. They bribe/thank him with a fanouropita cake, a "cake for lost things," when they are in search of something lost or something they want to find.

But there's no reason to wait until St. Fanourios Day to enjoy this treat. Like a dense but moist, lightly sweetened spice cake, fanouropita makes a welcome nosh with coffee or tea and can even stand in for a muffin at breakfast. Traditional recipes call for olive oil (Greek, of course), but you can use sunflower or canola oil in its place, with slightly different results in taste. The thick batter responds more like a dough, so you'll need to stretch and press it a bit into the pan. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil, or sunflower or canola oil

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 3/4 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup brandy

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup ground walnuts

  • 1/2 cup raisins

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch-round or square cake pan, or line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and the sugar until well combined.

  4. Add the orange juice, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder and mix well.

  5. Using a spatula, incorporate the flour in batches into the batter, continually scraping the sides of the bowl, and mix until just combined. Stir in the ground walnuts and raisins.

  6. Transfer the batter to the cake pan, pressing it out to the edges and smoothing the top with the spatula.

  7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake turns golden and a toothpick inserted at a few different points comes out clean.

  8. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Variations

  • Try a lemon or orange liqueur in place of the brandy.
  • Swap dried cranberries or currants for the raisins.
  • Opt for almonds, pecans, or pine nuts instead of walnuts.
  • Add a sprinkling of sesame seeds to the top before you bake it or a dusting of confectioners' sugar after it cools.
  • Mix up the spices with any combination of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom that you like.
  • If you prefer to stick with the tradition of seven (or nine) ingredients representing the seven (or sometimes nine) sacred mysteries of the Church, you can use all cinnamon and eliminate the raisins and ground walnuts.