Portokalopita 🍊 (Greek Orange Phyllo Cake)
Serves 8
45 mins prep
30 mins cook
75 mins total
Portokalopita is an orange syrup-soaked cake made with phyllo. It's traditionally made in Greece and is so flavorful and impressive to serve to your family and friends.
For the orange syrup
For the cake
Variation: Valentine's Cake
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Preheat the oven to 200F. To a large baking dish, place 1 phyllo sheet at a time and scrunch up each sheet, pushing it to the end of the pan, lining them up until you fit all the scrunched up sheets in. Bake it low and slow until crumbly - about 30-40 minutes, scrunch with your hands every 10 minutes. When finished the phyllo should be completely dry and crumbly. Set aside to cool.
Make the orange syrup: Place the sugar, fresh orange juice, water and cinnamon stick in a small pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low, keeping at a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture will be slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool completely.
Prepare the 9 inch springform pan by greasing with 1-2 tbsp butter and then dust with flour. Set aside.
Once the phyllo is cooled, preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs vigorously for 1-2 minutes until combined, slightly lighter in colour and frothy.
Add the orange zest, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and whisk well until combined.
Next add the olive oil and fresh squeezed orange juice and whisk until combined.
Finally, crumble the phyllo into fine pieces. Then, add in the finely crumbled phyllo gradually into the cake batter, continually whisking so the pieces don’t get super clumpy.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake in the 350F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until nicely golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Once the cake is baked, immediately use a skewer to poke holes into the cake and then ladle the cooled orange syrup all over the hot cake, one ladle at a time, letting the cake absorb the syrup before adding another ladleful of syrup. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.
Let the cake fully cool before cutting and serving. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired.
Variation: Valentine's Cake
Preheat the oven to 200F. To a large baking dish, place 1 phyllo sheet at a time and scrunch up each sheet, pushing it to the end of the pan, lining them up until you fit all the scrunched up sheets in. Bake it low and slow until crumbly - about 30-40 minutes, scrunch with your hands every 10 minutes. When finished the phyllo should be completely dry and crumbly. Set aside to cool.
Make the orange syrup: Place the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, 1/2 cup water in a small pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low, keeping at a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture will be slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool completely.
Prepare the 9 inch springform pan by greasing with 1-2 tbsp butter and then dust with flour. Set aside.
Once the phyllo is cooled, preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs vigorously for 1-2 minutes until combined, slightly lighter in colour and frothy.
Add the orange zest, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and whisk well until combined.
Next add the olive oil and fresh squeezed orange juice and whisk until combined.
Crumble the phyllo into fine pieces. Then, add in the finely crumbled phyllo gradually into the cake batter, continually whisking so the pieces don’t get super clumpy.
Finally, gently stir in the ¼ cup fine crumbs of dehydrated strawberries.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake in the 350F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until nicely golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Once the cake is baked, immediately use a skewer to poke holes into the cake and then ladle the cooled orange syrup all over the hot cake, one ladle at a time, letting the cake absorb the syrup before adding another ladleful of syrup. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.
Let the cake fully cool before making the chocolate sauce.
Make the chocolate sauce: Place chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat cream over medium heat in a small pot until it begins to gently simmer (DO NOT LET IT BOIL). Once the cream gently simmers, remove from heat immediately. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, stir slowly until the chocolate and cream are combined and everything is melted together. Set aside.
Top the cake with sliced strawberries, fanned out. Then slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the chocolate sauce.
