Why Greek Orange Filo Cake (Portokalopita) Should Be Your New Go-To Dessert (Trust me, it's a game-changer!)

This little piece of sticky, orange syrup infused, moister than moist, citrusy goodness, was meant to be part of the recipe list for my upcoming story … But this cake is just too good and it deserves its own limelight, or rather in this case orange-light … And I just can’t run the risk of you not having this cake in your repertoire … So I present to you Greek Orange Filo Cake (Portokalopita).

The Irresistible Greek Orange Filo Cake

I honestly can’t say enough about this cake and yet it’s not really a cake, but given the texture, no one will believe you when you tell them it’s actually made from dry filo and an orange infused Greek yogurt custard, finished fresh and hot out of the oven with a sticky, sweet orange syrup … the texture makes no sense, but it’ll be the moistest bit of cake you’ll ever serve.

When we think of Greek desserts, baklava often takes centre stage, but Portokalopita introduces a refreshing zest of orange that is hard to forget. The main flavour comes from fresh oranges, which are incorporated through both juice and zest.

Picture this: as you take a mouthful, the golden-brown exterior gives way to a warm, moist centre that reminds you of a sunlit Mediterranean getaway. The combination of flavours is enhanced by the sticky orange syrup drizzled over the top as soon as it comes out of the oven—your taste buds will feel like they're bathing in sunshine!

The Recipe

Ingredients

For the syrup

1 and 2/3 cup water

1 and 2/3 of a cup sugar

zest of 1 orange

For the Orange Filo Cake

200g yogurt

1 and 1/4 of a cup vegetable oil

1 and 1/4 of a cup sugar

1 and 1/4 of a cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Zest of 1 1/2 orange

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 packs filo pastry

4 medium sized eggs

Method

Unwrap the filo sheets from the plastic sleeve; place the sheets on a large surface and leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, in order to dry well.

To prepare this Greek orange cake, start first by preparing the syrup. Pour into a pot the water, the sugar, the orange zest and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened. Set aside to cool.

In the meantime prepare the mixture for the orange cake. Pour the vegetable oil into a large bowl, add the sugar and the eggs and whisk. Add the yogurt, the orange juice, the orange zest and the vanilla extract and whisk well, until the ingredients combine and the mixture is smooth. Add the baking powder, and whisk lightly.

Crumble the filo into small pieces using your hands. Add them gradually into the mixture while whisking so they don’t stick to each other.

Using a cooking brush, oil the bottom and the sides of a baking tray (approx.20x30cm / 8×12 inch) and pour in the mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 180C/350F for 40-50 minutes until, nicely coloured and cooked through. Check if it is ready, by poking a hole with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, then the cake is ready.

To finish the orange cake, ladle slowly the cold syrup over the hot cake. Allow each ladle of syrup to be absorbed, before ladling again.

Allow time for the syrup to be absorbed and put in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Greek orange cake is ideally served cold, not hot, so that it does not crumble.