A Greek new year cake. A coin is baked in the cake. The slices are passed out in order from oldest to youngest. The one who gets the coin will have good luck for the year.
I baked this cake for my family's New Year's day brunch. Being Greek, I can tell you that this was much closer to the traditional recipe than you would find in a bakery. It's denser and has a lighter flavour. Everyone loved it and commented on how it was much better than store bought version. My 3 year old nephew ate an entire piece by himself! A definite keeper. - 02 Jan 2007 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I thought this cake taste great. I put several$1 coins wrapped in foil. Everyone thought it was fun. This cake tastes like pound cake. If anyone finds it to sedate, it would go very well with chocolate sauce and whipped cream or strawberries and vanilla ice cream. - 15 Jan 2002 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
This is indeed a traditional Greek recipe. Almonds and the sesame seeds are not essential but definitely add to the flavour. The sesame seeds in particularly are used a lot by Greek Bakers. - 31 Dec 2002 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)