Portokalopita (Greek Orange Phyllo Cake With Cinnamon Syrup). It’s like a Greek Bread Pudding

 

This is a really unique cake and the first time I made it.  The bottom got a little doughy, but that is apparently because I didn’t distribute the yogurt evenly, AND didn’t bake the phyllo prior. To remedy the doughy texture on the bottom of the cake, I put into a pan with a little olive oil to brown and crisp up the bottom.  Once the cake is done and warm, pour cinnamon syrup over – a tasty unique cake with an eggy texture and the beautiful fragrance of orange and cinnamon. I think topping it with fresh whip cream, ice cream, and/or crushed pistachios/almonds would be nice too. 

Shred the Phyllo – This was fun!  Get out a baking sheet, spray with Pam, and put all of the shredded phyllo on it.  Put into the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour.  Keep an eye on it.  You don’t want too brown, but you do want crispy.  Once it comes out of the oven, you will crumble it into batter.

In the Meantime, Make the Syrup -  In a pot over medium high heat, add 2 cups white sugar, 1 ½ cups water, 1 orange cut in half, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.  

For the Cake - 1 package of crispy phyllo, 3 oranges, 5 eggs, 7 ounces plain Greek yogurt, ¾ cup olive oil, ½ cup white sugar, 1 tbsp. baking powder.   Mix olive oil, sugar and eggs together in a mixer and mix until nice and frothy. Then add the juice of oranges and the zest from 1 ½ oranges.  Add yogurt and continue mixing.  Then add baking powder.  Add crushed phyllo to batter a little at a time.  Then put cake into a greased up cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Once baked, spoon syrup over and cool the cake.  It should be served cold.