114Orange phyllo cake

Method

Traditional yogurt and shredded filo orange cake. Cut into 12 generous squares; delicious paired with vanilla ice cream.

You will need

• small saucepan
• large mixing bowl
• balloon whisk
• 33 x 23 cm baking dish
• ladle

1. Prepare the syrup first by combining 350g sugar, 400ml water, 120ml orange juice, and the cinnamon stick in a pot; boil for 6 minutes, then set aside to cool completely. 8 min Ready when: sugar dissolved and syrup lightly thickened
2. Preheat a conventional oven to 175°C (350°F) and lightly oil a 33 x 23 cm baking dish. 5 min · 175°C / 350°F
3. Unroll the filo pastry sheets and separate them onto baking trays or leave them spread on the counter for 30 minutes until dried and brittle, then crunch them thoroughly into bite-sized flakes with your hands. 10 min Ready when: shattered into small dry flakes
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and 150g sugar together until pale, thick, and fluffy. 4 min Ready when: pale and ribbon-like texture
5. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, oil, orange zest, baking powder, and vanilla extract until a uniform custard forms. 2 min Ready when: smooth, aromatic batter
6. Gradually scatter the crushed filo flakes into the wet mixture a couple of handfuls at a time, folding thoroughly between additions so the flakes do not stick together in clumps. 5 min Ready when: all filo coated evenly with batter
7. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish, smooth the surface evenly, and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 40 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown and firm to the touch. 45 min · 175°C / 350°F Ready when: deep golden brown and set in the centre
8. Remove the hot cake from the oven and immediately ladle the cooled syrup slowly and evenly over the entire surface, allowing each ladleful to absorb. 5 min Ready when: cake absorbs syrup without pooling
9. Leave the cake to rest and cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours before slicing into squares. 120 min Ready when: syrup completely absorbed throughout the crumb

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Make ahead and storing

Best prepared several hours ahead or the day before so the syrup distributes thoroughly.

Room temperature for 2 days or fridge for up to 5 days.

Substitutions

• melted unsalted butter for mild olive oil or sunflower oil. Produces a slightly richer, buttery crumb rather than the classic moistness of oil.
• sour cream for strained Greek yogurt (full-fat). Provides similar acidity and fat content if Greek yogurt is unavailable.

Common mistakes

• Dumping the crushed filo into the batter all at once. The dry pastry leaves fuse into dense, gummy lumps that remain uncooked in the middle.
• Pouring hot syrup over the hot cake. Both elements being hot will cause the crumb to turn mushy and soggy rather than spongy.

Regional variants

• Chian portokalopita infused with ground mastic tears in the batter

About the dish

Portokalopita is a modern classic of Greek domestic baking, developed as a resourceful method to use leftover or dried scraps of filo pastry. Instead of rolling or layering, cooks dry sheets of filo thoroughly, shatter them into small flakes, and bind them with a custard of whole eggs, Greek yogurt, oil, and fresh orange zest. Once baked until golden, the hot cake is drenched in cooled orange-infused sugar syrup, creating a moist, sponge-like crumb with none of the pastry's original flaky separation.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Basbousa bil burtuqal (Levantine). A dense semolina citrus syrup cake that fills a similar celebratory role across the eastern Mediterranean.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

470 kcal · protein 7.4 g · fat 19.7 g (saturated 3.9 g) · carbohydrate 67.7 g (sugars 47.1 g) · fibre 2 g · sodium 330 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following standard home baking tradition using dried shattered filo as a sponge base..