Vasilopita is the Greek New Year's Eve or New Year's Day cake that traditionally hides a coin inside it. The person who finds the coin in their slice is said to receive good luck for the coming year.
The name means “Saint Basil's pie” or “Saint Basil's cake,” and the custom is connected with Saint Basil the Great, whose feast day is observed in Greece on January 1. Families cut the cake in a prescribed order that may include religious figures, the household, and individual members. The exact recipe varies by region and family.
Vasilopita is not one single standardized dessert. It may resemble a sweet bread, sponge cake, or citrus-flavored cake, and some versions are decorated with the year. The coin is wrapped safely before baking or inserted afterward, because biting into a hidden metal coin can be hazardous.