Delicious and easy make ahead portokalopita or sweet orange cake

Today, I’m excited to share with you this delicious and easy make ahead portokalopita or sweet orange cake. A recipe that encapsulates the essence of Greek desserts. This isn’t just any cake; it’s a symphony of flavours that dances on your palate, leaving you wanting more. There’s something about the blend of citrus and syrup that takes me back to the sun-drenched shores of Greece. Often times when eating out in Greece, a little fruit or dessert is served after your meal as show of hospitality. The dessert is usually sweet and syrupy something you don’t need to eat a lot of to feel satisfied. Something like this cake you’re about to learn about.

This isn’t just any cake; it’s a symphony of flavours that dances on your palate, leaving you wanting more. Best of all, this make a great make ahead dessert, you can make it the day before and it will taste even better the next day, when all the flavours have had a chance to really combine. One thing that I’ve come to notice that sometimes Greek desserts don’t always look like they will be all that appetizing, but looks can be so deceiving, and they are usually incredible.

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What is Portokalopita?

Portokalopita is a traditional Greek dessert that combines the tanginess of oranges with the sweetness of syrup, all held together by the delicate crunch of phyllo pastry. Unlike other cakes, this one boasts a unique texture thanks to its lack of flour. It’s pretty hard to believe but you would never guess that there is no flour in this recipe. Instead, of your traditional batter dried phyllo leaves are crumbled and used as the “flour”, giving this dessert a distinctive almost bread pudding kind of texture. Although it’s very sweet you’ll be going back for more after the first few bites. You won’t regret making delicious and easy make ahead portokalopita or sweet orange cake.

What you will Need to make portokalopita

• For the Syrup:
  • 500 g water
  • 700 g granulated sugar
  • 300 g orange juice or juice of 2 large oranges
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• For the Cake:
  • 450 g phyllo dough sheets (thawed)
  • 2 large oranges or 3 if they are on the smaller side (washed)
  • Zest of 2 oranges (optional)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250 g granulated sugar
  • 250 g whole milk
  • 250 g avocado oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

CAN YOU USE PUFF PASTRY INSTEAD OF PHYLLO?

Phyllo dough is different from puff pastry. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is mostly flour and water and can dry out easily.

WHERE CAN I FIND PHYLLO DOUGH SHEETS?

Phyllo dough sheets or sometimes written Filo can be found in the freezer section of most large grocery stores, close to where the premade puff pastry or pie shells can be found. Alternatively, if you have a european deli store close to you, you might be able to find it in their frozen section.

How to make delicious portokalopita

Prepare the Syrup:

• Begin by making the syrup so it has time to cool. In a pot, combine water, sugar, and the orange juice. You can also add a cinnamon stick for that warm spice aroma. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the syrup thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.

Phyllo Prep:

• The key to a great Portokalopita is in the phyllo. Preheat your oven 250°F / 120°C (on convection). You want the heat to be low and slow to give your phyllo sheets a chance to dry out and crisp up completely.  
• Lay out your thawed out phyllo sheets and start gathering one or two sheets at a time, gather or scrunch them almost like an accordion. Place them in a row into a baking pan.
• Bake for 1 hour or until you see the sheets have completely dried out. After the 1 hour when you crumble the phyllo sheets with your hands you might notice some parts haven’t completely dried out. You can just pop them back in the oven to crisp them up a little more. You want to the phyllo to be completely dried out so the it can really absorb the batter.

At the same time as your phyllo is in the oven, you want to take your oranges and put them in a pot of water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for an hour. You want the oranges to cook through and become soft. Once they are soft remove from the water to cool. Once your oranges have cooled slightly, squeeze out the juice and keep the pulp and the rind aside. The juice will be bitter so you don’t want to use that.

Increase your oven temp to 350°F /175°C (on convection).

Mix the Batter:

In a food processor, combine the orange pulp, the rind (yes, the rind too!) and sugar, mix until the rind has melted down to nothing. Then add your eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, orange zest (if using), baking powder and baking soda. Beat until everything is nice and smooth and frothy. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl.

Combine and Bake: 

Crumble your phyllo with your hands, if you haven’t already. Fold the crumbled phyllo into the batter gently until just combined. You want to do this in three batches so you don’t overmix your batter. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until golden and set.

Syrup Soak: 

Once out of the oven, immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot cake. The sizzle as the syrup hits the cake is music to the ears – it’s the sound of deliciousness in the making. There will be quite a bit of syrup sitting on top of the cake initially but it will get soaked up by the cake. On a side note, the general rule is if your dessert is hot, you want to use a cold syrup. If your dessert is cold you want to use a hot syrup.

Serve and Savor: 

Allow the portokalopita to cool and absorb the syrup before slicing. This might take a few hours or you can leave it to absorb all the syrup overnight. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an indulgent treat.

Portokalopita is more than just a dessert; it’s a celebration of Greek culinary ingenuity. It’s a testament to the creativity of using what’s on hand – in this case, leftover phyllo sheets – to create something extraordinary. It is said that portokalopita came to be as a way to use leftover phyllo dough after the bakers were done making spinach or cheese pies. So, the next time you’re craving a slice of Greece, remember this recipe and treat yourself to a piece of Portokalopita. Kali Orexi! (Bon Appétit!)

I hope you enjoy making and indulging in this delightful Greek dessert. Let the aromas of orange and cinnamon transport you to a quaint café in Athens, where life is sweet and the desserts are sweeter. If you get a chance to make this delicious and easy to make ahead portokalopita please leave a comment down below! Ejoy and happy baking!