Probably a little late for this feast day as it is already 9:30pm here in California, but not too late for the next time you want to be thankful for a lost thing found. Side note: am I the only one that is forever going to hear “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns when thinking of St. Phanourius? Because it’s been in my head ALL DAY LONG!
Easiest Gluten Free Phanouropita
Ingredients:
• 1 bag Pamela’s Vanilla Cake Mix (I chose Pamela’s as the base because they give me the most consistent results, but if you have a favorite gluten free cake mix or from scratch recipe, you could tweak it like I did)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup brandy (some recipes use orange juice instead or both. I had brandy, not orange juice, so I used brandy)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (most recipes use walnuts, but I like pecans)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
Directions:
(Basically, you just add the spices and brandy and then follow the same instructions that are on the bag, told you it was the easiest👩🍳)
Preheat oven to 325*F. Mix ingredients until well incorporated. Grease a 9” baking round and/or line with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan. Bake 30-35min. Cake is done when it springs back with a light touch or toothpick comes out almost clean. Do not over-bake, as it will cause dryness. When cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve.
So why is he the saint of lost things? From the OCA’s life of the saint: The saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of the saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way.
Additional Resources:
• When St. Phanourios Finds Lost Things
• Learning About the Saints: St. Phanourios (Commemorated on August 27/September 9)
• Fanouropita and my take “with tahini” (vegan cake)
• The Tradition of Phanouropita (Phanourios Cake)
• Saints, Cakes, and Redemption
• Saint Fanourios Cake ~ Fanouropita
• Fanouropita – a Greek olive oil and orange cake for the patron saint of lost things
Living Liturgically 