Aromatic Vasilopita Cupcakes

---

If you loved baking Vasilopita cake, you’ll truly enjoy this cupcake version. They’re incredibly flavorful, soft, and aromatic—and always a hit with both adults and little ones alike. 

Aromatic Vasilopita Cupcake Recipe

Servings:
18-20

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter (2 sticks unsalted) at room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon of mahlepi (fine grind) 
• 1 teaspoon of mastiha (fine grind) 
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar 
• 2 1/2 cups of flour (all purpose)
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 pinch of finely ground salt 
• 1 Orange & 1 lemon (reserve zest)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt (plain)
• 3/4 cups of powdered sugar, (see notes)
• Lucky coin wrapped in foil
• Simple syrup for cupcakes -approximately 1/2 cup 
• Optional: Extra powdered sugar for frosting or to dust 

Method:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt on parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Grind the mahlepi, mastiha, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. It’s best to use a mortar and pestle because the mastiha tends to stick to a blender. Set aside. 
3. In a large mixing bowl mix the butter until creamy and then add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until very fluffy and creamy. Add in the mastiha & mahlepi sugar mix. Mix to combine. 
4. Add the eggs one by one then add the vanilla and zest’s. Blend until combined.
5. Add the milk, and yogurt and blend.
   Add the flour mixture and fold to combine. Don’t overfold as that will result in a dense cupcake.
6. Wrap the lucky coin in foil. Set aside.
7. Line your baking tins with cupcake liners. Place mixture inside each tin, making sure to fill the cupcake liners half full.
   Add the lucky coin to one of the cupcakes making sure it’s covered.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t over bake and then remove from oven. Let the cupcakes cool down. With a toothpick poke a few holes over the top of them. Then brush the simple syrup over each cupcake. 
9. You can serve these with vanilla frosting, powdered sugar, or chocolate frosting. Whatever your heart desires!
10. We typically serve Vasilopita with powdered sugar, and a decorative “2026” design. Pomegranates are a sign of good luck, so use some pomegranate seeds for decoration. I sprinkled toasted almonds over the frosting and then placed the cupcakes in a “22” formation.

Notes: 

• You can use any frosting you love for this recipe but we love vanilla frosting and or cardamom frosting. 
• Make these ahead of time and freeze inside air tight container. 
• Our recipe calls for 3/4 cup of powdered sugar in the cupcake mix. Have about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar on hand if you are planning to make frosting or dust the cupcakes. 

 

Simple Syrup recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water + 1 cup sugar (granulated) 

Method:

• Place the ingredients together inside a medium size pot. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool before use. 

 

Happy New Year to all! May 2026 bring you good health, joy, and happiness! Thank you for following Kouzounas Kitchen blog. Let’s see what 2026 will bring us!