Portokalopita – Greek Orange Pie
Portokalopita, the Greek Orange Pie! A delicious dessert with filo dough, creamy Greek yogurt, and sweet orange syrup.
Equipment
- 1 Hand mixer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
Orange syrup
- 2 Orange peel from 2 oranges
- 350 ml Orange juice (11.8 fl.oz) freshly squeezed
- 150 ml Water (5 fl.oz)
- 200 g Light brown sugar (7 oz) or granulated white
- 150 g Granulated sugar (5.3 oz)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Triple sec optional, but highly recommended
Batter
- 450 g Phyllo dough (15.9 oz)
- 4 Eggs large or 5 small
- 200 g Granulated sugar (7 oz)
- 1 tbsp Orange peel from the syrup finely chopped
- 300 g Greek yogurt (10.6 oz)
- 1½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 pinch Salt
- 200 ml Sunflower oil or vegetable oil (6.7 fl.oz)
- 50 ml Orange juice (1.7 fl.oz)
- 1 tsp Baking soda
Instructions
Phyllo dough
- Bunch up the phyllo, one sheet at a time, accordion-style, and add it to two baking trays.
- Preheat the oven to 100°C (210°F) and dehydrate the phyllo dough for about 30-45 minutes until it's dried out. You may need to turn them so they dry evenly. Once done, take it out and set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
Orange syrup
- Wash and peel 2 oranges, cutting the peels into thin strips.
- In a small saucepan, add the orange peel, brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange juice, water, and cinnamon stick. Let it boil on medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Allow it to cool before placing it in the refrigerator to chill completely.
- Once the syrup is cold, add 3 tbsp of Grand Marnier or triple sec if desired.
Batter
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
- Remove about a tablespoon of orange peels from the syrup and chop them finely. Leave the remaining peels in the syrup.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar until they become white and fluffy.
- Add the chopped orange peels, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix again until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix 50 ml (1.7 fl.oz) of orange juice with 1 tsp of baking soda. As soon as it starts to bubble, pour it into the batter and mix until combined.
- Finally, crush the dried phyllo into small pieces and add it to the batter a little at a time until all the phyllo dough is covered.
- Grease a 25x25 cm pan with vegetable oil and pour the batter into it, flattening it slightly to make it even.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes at 180°C (360°F) until golden.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, use a skewer to poke some holes in the middle. Then, pour the cold syrup over it right away. Allow the Portokalopita – Greek orange pie to absorb the syrup for at least an hour before serving.
