December 14, 2022

Koula's Karydopita Recipe From Ioannina, Epirus

By Koula | Grecian Purveyor’s mum’s recipe

This walnut cake has Christmas written all over it, be it the delicious walnuts, the aromatic spices or the mouthwatering syrup that runs through it. It's a must go to cake that everyone loves during Christmas and definitely worth making.

It's, also, a very special recipe that my mother, Vasiliki shared with Christine from Kali Orexi Melbourne for her "Meri Month of May" campaign. And very close to my heart too, as it was my late father's favourite cake as well, despite that he wasn't big on sweets, but he'd always have a piece or two of karydopita.

This is a light and fluffy cake that uses breadcrumbs, which add body to the cake. The breadcrumbs are mixed into the batter gradually until the batter achieves a texture that is thick, yet still loose. A little patience also needs to be exercised to enjoy this cake - the karydopita needs to cool completely before the hot syrup is added. Then you add as much syrup as you like - less if you prefer the karydopita sweet and drier, more if you prefer it syrupy!

Thank you to mother, sister and niece, Vasiliki, Georgia and Zoe Dachri for making, documenting, photographing and sharing this much-loved family recipe of Karydopita from the other side of the world!

Ingredients

400gr finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons of high quality delicate EVOO, to mix the walnuts in - enhances and gives a richer walnut flavour
30gr of cinnamon
8 x 70g eggs - yolks and whites separated
˜350g fine breadcrumbs, added gradually (see instructions below)
400gr sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3gr of baking powder
60g semolina – use only if the karydopita batter is loose

For syrup:

400gr sugar
400ml water
2 tablespoons of Greek forest & flower honey mix into syrup

Method:

Preparing the karydopita

In a medium bowl, stir the walnuts and cinnamon together, before adding the EVOO and mixing through
Whisk yolks with the sugar till pale and thick
Whisk the egg whites separately till soft peaks form
Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in batches
Gently fold in the walnut mixture, vanilla extract and baking powder
Add the breadcrumbs and gently combine – add enough breadcrumbs to form a thick batter, that is on the looser side
If you have added all of the breadcrumbs and the batter is still very loose, then add enough semolina to tighten it a bit
Lightly baste a 30cm diameter pan with EVOO
Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it flat
Bake at 180^ºC conventional for about 35-45 minutes, or until a test skewer comes out clean
Allow the karydopita to cool completely
Once cooled, cut the karydopita into diamond-shaped pieces ~ 4 x 5cm

Preparing the syrup

Add the sugar and water to a small pot and bring to the boil
Take the pot off heat and stir in the honey
Ladle hot syrup slowly and evenly over the cooled and sliced karydopita – the amount of syrup you add will depend on personal preference

Serving the karydopita

Serve the karydopita with spoon sweets, such as cherry, whole wild fig, quince or figs filled with walnuts for the ultimate karydopita piece! And if you fancy some delicious tipple, then look no further than the Santorini Vinsanto dessert wine.

Kali Orexi!

William Dachris | Grecian Purveyor