Karidopita Recipe

Prepare and preheat

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) round or square baking pan with the butter or oil and line the bottom with parchment if desired.

In a medium bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and orange zest until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with both sugars until smooth and slightly thickened (about 2–3 minutes by hand or 1–2 minutes with a mixer). Add the yogurt, vegetable oil, orange juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in two additions, mixing gently until just combined and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be fairly thick.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the top evenly with the finely chopped walnuts.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35–45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Rotate the pan once halfway through baking if your oven runs unevenly.

While the cake bakes, combine the sugar, water, orange juice, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick and whole cloves in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 6–8 minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick and cloves. Keep the syrup warm.

When the cake comes out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes in the pan. Using a skewer or fork, poke a grid of holes across the top so syrup can penetrate.

Pour the warm syrup slowly and evenly over the hot cake, using about two-thirds of the syrup first. Allow the cake to absorb the syrup for 10–15 minutes, then pour the remaining syrup over the cake. If any syrup remains, serve it on the side.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan (at least 1 hour) so the syrup sets. Once cool, loosen the edges with a knife and transfer to a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar if using and serve slices at room temperature. Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator; it keeps well and becomes more fragrant after a day.