Orthodox faithful have a variety of traditions when it comes to
thanking a saint who has interceded or taken action in answering a
prayer. Some faithful offer monetary donation to churches named after
the saint. Some make journeys across the globe to venerate the relics of
the saint. Others will name their children after the saint. But when
they’ve lost something and prayed to St. Phanourios for intercession and
prayed for his mother, they make a cake and share it among their
friends as a testimony or thanks for the answered prayer.
I was first introduced to St. Phanourios when I was a teenager. We
were traveling and had misplaced several items, jewelry, keys, etc. My
mom told us about the saint and we all prayed. Our prayers were
answered, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I’ve seen people find a
contact lens on a soccer field, a diamond in a bin of whole wheat, and
most recently, I found my keys after praying to the helpful saint.
The cake is usually a simple Lenten spice cake, dairy and egg free.
Although there are several varieties interchanging walnuts, raisins, and
dried cranberries, and some which include butter, egg, and brandy, I
opted for the fasting version in consideration that my cake was an
offering of thanksgiving.
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9” round or Bundt cake pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together 4 cups of flour, 1 ½ t baking soda, 1
½ t baking powder, 1 t cinnamon, and 1 t pumpkin spice. You can add
another ¼ t clove for a stronger flavor.
In
a large bowl, whisk together 1 c vegetable oil, 1 c orange juice, ¼ c
water, brandy or whisky and 1 c sugar until thoroughly combined.
Mix in 1 c chopped walnuts and 1 c raisins.
In small batches, add the flour mixture to the orange juice mixture,
whisking until all the flour is combined. Tradition says to whisk by
hand for 7-9 minutes as you incorporate the flour. This is a good time
to thank St. Phanourios for his assistance. It’s also a good time for
the chemical reaction to take place in the batter so the cake will rise.
WARNING: The batter will be very thick and gooey.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted
in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove cake from the
oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
When cooled, plate and dust with powdered sugar. The cake will dry
quickly, so be sure to store in an airtight container or cover tightly
with plastic wrap.
You aren’t done yet! Now you have to share the cake whole or in
pieces with family and friends telling them how St. Phanourios helped
you find what you lost.
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