Greek Easter Lenten Walnut Cake, “Karidopita”

For the Greek Orthodox Community, Easter is on April 12. One delicious Greek dessert, popular during both Lent and the Easter holiday, is Karidopita, a light, moist walnut cake flavored with cinnamon, cloves and orange juice. Topped with powdered sugar and served in squares, this dessert is ideal for holiday gatherings, or for a tasty treat, any day of the year.

 

The Kontos family, owners of Kontos Foods, a New Jersey-based provider of traditional Mediterranean foods, would like to share this favorite, dairy-free, recipe:

Karidopita

 

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups water

1-1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tbsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. cinnamon

Juice from one orange – strained

Powdered sugar, for topping

 

Preheat oven to 375⁰ Fahrenheit.

Blend flour, baking powder, ground cloves & cinnamon in a bowl.

Add vegetable oil to flour mix and blend.

Add sugar, water, baking soda, and juice to mix.

Blend walnuts into batter.

Grease 9” x 12” baking pan and pour in batter.

Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool, sprinkle powdered sugar on top and cut into squares. 

“This easy-to-make recipe has been in our family for generations. With fresh squeezed orange juice, fragrant spices and a sprinkling of powdered sugar, it’s festive for the holidays and also great for special meals or coffee get-togethers,” said Steve Kontos, Vice President of Kontos Foods.

 

Founded in 1987, Kontos Foods, Inc. is a Paterson, New Jersey-based provider of traditional Mediterranean foods for restaurants, hotels, food service, retail specialty stores and supermarkets worldwide. The family-owned company specializes in hand-stretched flatbreads, including the Kontos Pocket-Less Pita®, Fillo dough, pastries, olives, gyro meats, and Greek yogurts, as well as nearly 50 varieties of multi-ethnic flatbreads. Kontos, which has over 225 employees and was founded by Evripides (Evris) Kontos with his son Steven, together bring over 100 years’ experience in the premium food industry. The company’s bread and Fillo products are made in the USA. 

Visit www.kontos.com or call (973) 278-2800. Find Kontos Foods on Twitter @KontosFoods, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Kontosfoods.

For more delicious Greek recipes, see their Pinterest boards at https://www.pinterest.com/kontosfoods/.