Portokalopita
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, 1½ cups water, 1 cup honey, ½ cup sugar and the peel of 1 orange, for the syrup
- 450 g (1 lb) phyllo dough, thawed
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- 1¼ cups fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Portokalopita was probably born of thrift — a way to use up the phyllo scraps left from making spanakopita — and it has become one of Greece's most loved syrup cakes. Whole sheets of phyllo are torn into strips and dried in the oven until brittle, then folded into a batter of eggs, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, orange zest and juice; the phyllo stands in for flour and gives the cake a soft, custardy, layered crumb. Straight from the oven it is pierced and flooded with a cooled honey and orange syrup, then left to absorb it for at least an hour.
Method
For the syrup, put the orange peel, juice, water, honey and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil until the sugar dissolves and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool completely.
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Tear the phyllo into thin strips, spread them on baking sheets without overlapping and bake for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until dry and barely coloured.
Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale, beat in the baking powder, then mix in the olive oil, yogurt, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla and salt.
Fold the dried phyllo into the batter a handful at a time until it is all submerged, and pour into an oiled 24 x 35 cm baking pan.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
Pierce the hot cake all over with a skewer and pour the cooled syrup evenly over it. Rest for at least an hour (or overnight) before slicing.
