Portokalopita — Greek Orange Cake
Greek orange cake made with torn filo instead of flour, soaked in citrus syrup until dense, sticky and fragrant.
Method
- Tear the filo sheets into rough pieces and spread them loosely over two trays. Leave them to dry out for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or dry them in a 120°C oven for 20 minutes, until brittle and crackly.
- Make the syrup: boil the sugar, water, orange juice, cinnamon and peel for 8 minutes, then leave to cool completely. The syrup must be cold when it meets the hot cake.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes until pale and thick.
- Whisk in the oil in a steady stream, then the yoghurt, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla.
- Stir in the baking powder.
- Crumble the dried filo into the bowl with your hands, breaking it into small pieces, and fold gently until every piece is coated. The mixture will look rough and lumpy, which is correct.
- Tip into a greased 23cm by 33cm tin, spread level without pressing down, and bake at 170°C for 45 to 50 minutes, until deep golden and firm in the centre.
- Pour the cold syrup slowly and evenly over the hot cake as soon as it leaves the oven. It will hiss and absorb steadily.
- Leave for at least 2 hours to drink up the syrup completely before cutting into squares or diamonds. Serve with a spoonful of yoghurt or ice cream.
How to make Portokalopita — Greek Orange Cake
Portokalopita is unusual among cakes: there is no flour in it at all. Dried, crumbled filo pastry provides the structure, giving a texture somewhere between a sponge and a bread pudding, saturated with orange syrup.
Dry the filo properly
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The filo must be brittle before it goes into the batter. Fresh, pliable pastry turns gummy and the cake never sets properly. Spread it out loosely so air circulates, and give it the full two to three hours, or use a low oven.
Hot cake, cold syrup
As with basbousa, the temperature contrast decides how the syrup is absorbed. Make the syrup first so it has time to cool, and pour it the moment the cake comes out of the oven.
Orange, not just juice
The zest carries most of the aroma. Use unwaxed oranges, zest them finely and add the peel strips to the syrup as well for a deeper citrus flavour.
Patience at the end
Cut too early and the cake is wet in the middle and dry at the edges. Two hours lets the syrup distribute evenly; overnight is better still, and it keeps for four days covered at room temperature.
Traditional Greek baking; portokalopita uses dried filo in place of flour, a technique particular to this cake. Editorially researched from widely documented preparations, and not kitchen-tested by Axadle.
Contains gluten from filo pastry, dairy from yoghurt and butter, and egg.
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