Portokalopita: Greek Orange Phyllo Cake

A moist orange-flavored phyllo cake that is simple to make and perfect for any occasion.

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I’ve made portokalopita, Greek orange phyllo cake, in the past, but I did a poll a few weeks ago to see which new recipes you wanted and if there were recipes you wanted updated. One of my friends on Instagram requested that I make the chocolate chip version of portokalopita from an island in Greece. It’s an orange cake made with phyllo, similar to a bread pudding. You can barely tell it’s made with phyllo because it’s so creamy, custardy, and delicious. I tried it with the chocolate chips, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you!

A delicious fall favorite!

• Moist, orange cake
• Sweet orange syrup
• Creamy chocolate bites
• Easy, delicious, syrupy orange and chocolate cake you’ll have a hard time waiting for!

Orange and Chocolate

Orange syrup

• Water
• Granulated sugar
• Peel of a large orange
• Orange juice –freshly squeezed

​Orange cake

• #4 Phyllo –thawed and at room temperature
• Eggs
• Vegetable oil –or light olive oil
• Plain yogurt
• Orange juice –freshly squeezed
• Granulated sugar
• ​Baking powder
• Zest of 2 large oranges –zest before juicing
• Pure vanilla extract
• Salt
• Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips/chunks

Optional mix-ins

• Ground cardamom seeds
• Dried fruit instead of chocolate –cranberries or raisins

How to make Portokalopita: Greek Orange Cake

• ​Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
• ​Remove the phyllo from its packaging and keep it rolled up.
• Thinly slice the phyllo log and spread the strips out on a clean work surface to dry up –at least an hour.

Make the syrup

• Combine all of the syrup ingredients together in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

The orange cake

• ​Beat the sugar and eggs together until thick and pale yellow in color.
• Then, whisk in the olive oil, yogurt, orange juice, salt, and vanilla extract.
• ​Mix in the phyllo slices, a handful at a time, using two forks to mix them in evenly.
• Fold in the orange zest and the chocolate.
• Then, pour the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
• ​Bake for about 1 hour. The cake will be golden when ready.
• As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke several holes with a skewer and pour the syrup over it.
• Allow the syrup to soak in and the cake to cool completely –about 1-2 hours.

Phyllo drying shortcut!

There’s never an empty space on my counter for an extended period of time. We always have something going on in the kitchen. So, I bake the phyllo strips in the air fryer. I do it in 3-4 batches so I don’t overcrowd the basket and cook the strips at 300 °F for 5-7 minutes. You want them to be really dried out, and the air fryer does it perfectly. If you’d rather set it and forget it, try your oven. Spread the strips out on baking sheets and bake at 350 °F until they’re dry and toasted. They should crumble easily when they’re in your hand. Be sure to let them cool completely before using them.

Freezing cake

If you’d like to freeze slices for later, store the cake in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to a month. It may not last that long, but if you hide the pieces in the back of the freezer, you may be able to eat it all by yourself. 😉

Serving

This cake is very sweet. So, it tastes best with unsweetened whipped cream or dark chocolate ganache drizzled on top. As always, ice cream goes perfectly with any cake, and bittersweet chocolate curls would be fantastic. I love how the orange and chocolate flavors meld with a cup of hot Greek coffee. Just like it does with my Gluten-Free Almond & Orange Cake and Orange & Almond Olive Oil Biscotti: Greek Vegan Paximadia. ​Kali Orexi!

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Portokalopita: Greek Orange Phyllo Cake

Yield: 12 servings

A moist orange-flavored phyllo cake that is simple to make and perfect fro any occasion.

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Ingredients

For the syrup:

• 1 and 1/2 cups water
• 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• peel of a large orange
• 1/2 cup orange juice

​For the cake:

• 1 pound phyllo, thawed and at room temperature
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 and 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ​1 tablespoon baking powder
• zest of 2 large oranges
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips/chunks

Optional:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
• 1 cup of dried fruit (cranberries or raisins) instead of the chocolate

Instructions

​Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
​Remove the phyllo from its packaging and keep it rolled up. Thinly slice the phyllo and spread it on a clean work surface to dry up. About 1 hour.

Alternatively, bake the phyllo strips in the air fryer at 300 °F for 5-7 minutes.


In the meantime, make the syrup by combining all of the syrup ingredients together in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
​Beat the sugar and eggs together until thick and pale yellow in color. Add the baking powder and mix until incorporated.
​Whisk in the olive oil, yogurt, orange juice, salt, and vanilla extract.
​Mix in the phyllo slices, a handful at a time. Use 2 forks to mix them in evenly.
Fold in the orange zest and the chocolate.
Pour into a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan.
​Bake for about 1 hour. The cake will be golden when ready.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke some holes with a skewer or tooth pick and pour the syrup over it.
Allow to cool completely, about 1-2 hours, before serving.
​This cake is very sweet. It tastes best with unsweetened whipped cream or with dark chocolate ganache drizzled on top. Some bittersweet chocolate curls would also taste fantastic with this cake.
​Enjoy!

Notes

Leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.

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