Portokalopita (Πορτοκαλόπιτα) (2024)

Portokalopita is a traditional Greek syrup cake made with phyllo and infused with orange flavour. Instead of flour, dried out phyllo dough to make this siropiasto or syrup soaked cake.

Growing up in a Greek home, I am no stranger to desserts soaked in syrup. Portokalopita belongs to a class of desserts known as siropiasta, which essentially refers to any dessert which is soaked in syrup. In this regard, portokalopita is similar to karydopita (walnut cake), baklava, and pantespani, another lovely orange-flavoured cake. It is a dense, sweet cake which goes beautifully with a bit of vanilla ice cream or thick Greek yogourt. It also tastes great all on its own!

Why this recipe works

As far as desserts go, this is a weird one. Phyllo, which is a staple in Greek cooking both in savoury and sweet recipes, is usually used to hold things together. Think of the spinach in spanakopita or the creamy custard in bougatsa; delicious fillings wrapped in phyllo. Phyllo used this way is lovely, convenient, and typical. Although intimidating at first, working with phyllo in these recipes is easy when you get the hang of it. Still, you always have to be careful not to dry it out or tear it. Truth be told, phyllo can be a little finicky.

In a portokalopita however the phyllo finds a new use and everything that you have worried about gets tossed out the window. Here, the phyllo is purposefully dried out and intentionally torn. Yes! It’s true! The phyllo is then mixed in with the other ingredients and it essentially replaces the flour in the cake batter. How curious! Looking at a portokalopita you would never even know that phyllo had been used to make this syrup-soaked cake.

Key ingredients

For the syrup

• Water – The basis for the syrup. Regular tap water will do just fine.
• Sugar – I use granulate white sugar; sweet but with a mild flavour
• Orange juice – Whenever possible I use freshly squeezed orange juice. If you use purchased juice, just make sure it is a good brand.
• Cinnamon stick – Impart the flavour of cinnamon without impacting the colour of your syrup (the way ground cinnamon would).
• Orange blossom water (optional) – If you can find this orange flavoured extract, it really does add another dimension to the cake. If you don’t have it, that’s okay though.

For the cake

• Phyllo – Phyllo dough is very, very thin. Paper thin actually! This is the ingredient which makes portokalopita so unique. I purchase fresh phyllo (filo) dough whenever I can.
• Eggs – Large eggs are the standard when baking unless otherwise indicated in the recipe.
• Sugar – Unless otherwise indicated in the recipe, desserts usually call for white granulated sugar.
• Oranges – Oranges are the other star of this dessert; use the juiciest, best oranges you can find.
• Greek yogourt – Plain flavoured Greek yogourt; thick, creamy and tangy
• Vanilla extract – Did you know that you could purchase white vanilla extract?! This is really great when you don`t want to change the colour of your dessert. Not really important here though; regular vanilla extract will do just fine.
• Baking powder – A leavening agent along with the baking soda
• Baking soda – A leavening agent, along with the baking powder
• Salt – Always add salt to your desserts; makes such a difference
• Vegetable oil – mild flavoured, and gives your cake a great texture
• Orange juice – Use either freshly squeezed, or the best quality orange juice you can find.

How to make

Step 1
Start by preparing the syrup. Combine the water, sugar, orange juice, the cinnamon stick and the orange blossom water, if you are using it. Bring the ingredients to a boil; once it starts boiling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Step 2
While the syrup is being prepared, you must dry out the phyllo. I have found that the best, and easiest way to do this is to bake it. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Open up your phyllo sheets, and one by one, scrunch them up, starting from the short side. After scrunching a sheet, place it on a baking pan and continue until you have used the entire pack of phyllo. You will need 2 baking sheets to accommodate all of your phyllo. Bake in the middle and bottom racks of your oven for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes have passed, flip each phyllo sheet over and bake for an additional 8 minutes this time altering the position of each baking tray (so the one which started in the middle goes to the bottom rack and vice versa). Turn off your oven and leave the phyllo in the oven. Keep the oven door open slightly (you can use a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt to do this) to further dry out the phyllo. Once completely dry use your hands to crumble the phyllo into small pieces, and set them aside.

Step 3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 4
In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer combine the eggs and the sugar and beat for 3 – 4 minutes, until it is a pale yellow colour. Alternatively you can use a hand mixer.

Step 5
Add the orange zest, Greek yoghurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and mix until just combined.

Step 6
Next add the oil and the orange juice to the bowl, and mix to combine well with the rest of the ingredients.

Step 7
Using a rubber spatula begin to incorporate your dried out and torn phyllo into the cake batter, a little bit at a time. If you put all the pieces in at once, they will clump together. (Note: I like to pour the liquid ingredients into a bowl much larger than my stand mixer bowl – this just makes folding in the phyllo easier, but it is not necessary)

Step 8
After you have incorporated all of your phyllo into the batter, pour the mixture into a greased baking pan (I use a glass 9 X 13 baking pan). Bake for 50-60 minutes in the middle rack of your oven until your portokalopita is a nice golden colour.

Step 9
Once your portokalopita is baked remove it from the oven and immediately pierce it in several places with a long clean skewer.

Step 10
Pour your cooled syrup onto the hot cake, one ladle at at time. Allow each ladle to be absorbed into the cake before adding the next one. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.

Step 11
Let your cake cool before cutting, to allow the syrup to be fully absorbed.

Recipe substitutions

Use olive oil

You can use olive oil instead of vegetable oil in this portokalopita recipe. It will be very delicious, but will taste a bit different. The olive oil is stronger in flavour than the vegetable oil is. It may also darken your dessert a little bit, which is fine.

Use vanilla powder

Instead of using vanilla extract you can use vanilla powder. Use half the amount of vanilla powder as you would extract.

Baking tips and helpful hints

The easiest and quickest way to dry out your phyllo is to bake it at a low temperature; this is much more efficient and you will get better results than leaving it open to air. Each sheet of phyllo should be scrunched up and placed on a baking sheet before being placed in the oven. You can read the complete directions in the recipe itself.

I like to use freshly squeezed orange juice in this recipe, but if prefer you can always use a good quality orange juice that you purchase.

I usually buy fresh phyllo sheets; however, if frozen is all you can find, go for it. Simply defrost your phyllo in the fridge overnight. Be sure to defrost the phyllo in the refrigerator because doing so on the counter will result in soggy phyllo sheets.

Recipe variations

Make a lemonipita

You can actually make a similar dessert using lemons instead of oranges. Replace the orange juice for lemon juice, the oranges for lemons and the orange zest for lemon zest. The result will be a tart yet still sweet dessert that is delightful.

How to store

Portokalopita is a dessert that keeps quite well; in fact, some people enjoy it much better 2 – 3 days after it is baked. At the same time, it is delicious even the same day it is made, after it has cooled and soaked in the syrup for a few hours. I think you should have at least one piece every single day, to see how you enjoy it best. I call that research. 🙂

Any leftover portokalopita should be refrigerated. You can then either heat the cake up prior to eating it, or serve it cold or at room temperature. Experiment with what you prefer!

How to serve

I love to serve this cake with some vanilla ice cream on the side, or some Greek yoghurt. Of course, it is also wonderful just served plain, perhaps with a Greek coffee or a cup of Greek mountain tea.

If you enjoy syrup-y desserts, try these!

Galaktoboureko: the traditional Greek phyllo and custard dessert

Karydopita (Walnut cake) a traditional Greek syrup soaked walnut cake

Pantespani. a delightful Greek sponge cake, soaked in syrup and with an orange flavour

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