brandy infused portokalopita (orange phyllo cake)

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Greg Buerger
Peoria, AZ

About ten years ago was the first time I used phyllo dough. I threw most of it away and swore I’d never use it again. A couple of years later, I saw this recipe and decided it looked easy enough and I’d give it another try. It was much easier and turned out great. I love the texture of the phyllo in this recipe. It reminds me of a sponge cake and simply gets better the longer it soaks in the syrup. *You can add more liqueur if you like or simply omit it and add more orange juice. This recipe is meant to be served soaked in the sauce so serve it in a shallow bowl or on a plate with a slight rid

(1 rating)
yield 8 -10
prep time 20 Min
cook time 40 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For brandy infused portokalopita (orange phyllo cake)

  • 16 oz
    phyllo dough, thawed
  • 3
    oranges
  • 4 lg
    eggs
  • 1 c
    plain greek yogurt
  • 3/4 c
    extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 c
    sugar
  • 1 tsp
    grated ginger
  • 1 Tbsp
    baking powder
  • ORANGE-BRANDY SYRUP
  • 2 c
    sugar
  • 3/4 c
    water
  • 3 oz
    brandy
  • 1/2 c
    orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp
    vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp
    ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp
    nutmeg

How To Make brandy infused portokalopita (orange phyllo cake)

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil. Remove the phyllo from its packaging. Take 2 or 3 sheets and roughly tear into shreds. Repeat until all phyllo sheets have been shredded. Leave the phyllo shreds out to dry a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  • 2
    Cut one orange in half, and slice that half into very thin half-moons to garnish the cake. Zest and juice the remaining oranges.
  • 3
    Combine 1/3 cup orange juice, zest, eggs, yogurt, olive oil, 1/2 cup sugar, ginger and baking powder in a bowl, blender or food processor. Blend together on high speed for a couple of minutes, till the mixture is frothy.
  • 4
    Loosely place the ½ the phyllo shreds in the prepared baking pan. Pour half of the orange and egg mixture over the phyllo. Stir together gently, repeat with remaining phyllo and orange mixture. Decorate the top of the cake with the thinly sliced oranges.
  • 5
    Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling set. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
  • 6
    While the cake is baking, combine all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 6 to 8 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken or reduce slightly. Remove from the heat. Using a skewer or toothpick poke holes in the top of the phyllo cake. Pour the sauce over the top and let the syrup soak in for at least one hour.
  • 7
    *You can add more liqueur if you like or simply omit it and add more orange juice. This recipe is meant to be served soaked in the sauce so serve it in a shallow bowl or on a plate with a slight ridge.

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