I made another recipe based on an Instagram reel…
It looked deliciously easy to make and I was intensely curious about using phyllo pastry as ‘flour’. The name Greek name for this cake translates to Greek Orange cake – portokali means oranges and pita refers to the pastry/pie. It is soaked in an cinnamon infused orange syrup and is part of a family of syrup soaked desserts called siropiasta
I found a similiar recipe online: https://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/extra-syrupy-greek-yogurt-cake-oranges-portokalopita/. I only had a 150g carton of natural yoghurt, so I reduced all the ingredients to 75% of the original recommendations. With the sugar I reduced the sugar even further (my teeth are a little less tolerant of too sweet things), so I ended up using 100g of sugar for the cake mix and 2/3 cup for the syrup.
I think that I left the cake in for a few minutes too long but it was not burnt.
I just loved pouring the syrup over the cake. It was soothing to hear the sizzle as it cold liquid hit the hot sides of the baking traying, and satisfying on a level that I cannot quite articulate, to watch the fluid seep into the cake. Wonderful. I put the finished product in the fridge and let it cool for a few hours. In that few hours I tided up the kitchen, took my mother back to her home and bought a some Greek yoghurt in Tesco on my way back home. It was late when I got back and part of me thought that I should just wait until the next morning before eating a piece of this cake. However, the ‘live for the moment’ part of me, decided to ignore the late hour and just go for it. So I did, with only partial regret (I don’t tolerate eating late that well these days).
This cake is delicious. This cake is a dream. Dense, sweet, moist. It’s perfection on a plate. I loved it. I was also somehow very pleased with myself. I didn’t think would taste so nice. It’s definately something I will try again when the time is right.
For the Portokalopita
- 200g yogurt (2% fat) (7 ounces)
- 300 ml vegetable oil (1 and 1/4 of a cup)
- 300 ml sugar (1 and 1/4 of a cup)
- 300ml orange juice ( 1 and 1/4 of a cup)
- 20g baking powder (4 tsps)
- zest of 1 1/2 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 440–450g phyllo dough (15 ounces)
- 4 medium sized eggs
For the syrup
- 400ml water (1 and 2/3 of a cup)
- 400ml sugar (1 and 2/3 of a cup)
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Instructions
- Unwrap the phyllo dough from the plastic sleeve; place the sheets on a large surface and leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, in order to dry well. Alternatively, spread a few on a large baking tray and bake at 100C/200F, until dry; repeat with the rest.
- To prepare this Greek orange cake, start first by preparing the syrup. Pour into a pot the water, the sugar, the orange zest and a cinammon stick and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened. Set aside to cool.
- In the meantime prepare the mixture for the orange cake. Pour the vegetable oil into a large bowl, add the sugar and the eggs and whisk. Add the yogurt, the orange juice, the orange zest and the vanilla extractand whisk well, until the ingredients combine and the mixture is smooth. Add the baking powder, and whisk lightly.
- Crumble the phyllo into small pieces using your hands. Add them gradually into the mixture while whisking so they don’t stick to each other.
- Using a cooking brush, oil the bottom and the sides of a baking tray(approx.20x30cm / 8×12 inch) and pour in the mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 180C/350F for 40-50 minutes until, nicely coloured and cooked through. Check if it is ready, by poking a hole with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, then the cake is ready.
- To finish the orange cake, ladle slowly the cold syrup over the hot cake. Allow each ladle of syrup to be absorbed, before ladling again.
- Allow time for the syrup to be absorbed and put in the refrigerator. Greek orange cake is ideally served cold, not hot, so that it does not crumble. Enjoy with a big spoonful of ice cream!
