Portokalopita — Orange-Filo Cake

Preheat your oven to 160°C. Take the filo pastry out of its package and tear it into small pieces. Spread the torn filo onto a large baking sheet.

Bake the filo for 10-15 minutes, or until it is dry and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. It should be crispy.

While the filo cools, prepare the syrup. In a saucepan, combine 200g of sugar, 400ml of water, and the zest and juice of one orange. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let it cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 200g of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the Greek yogurt, Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, baking powder, vanilla extract, and the zest and juice of the second orange. Mix well.

Gently fold the cooled, baked filo pieces into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour the mixture into a greased 25x35 cm baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, slowly pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot cake. The cake will absorb the syrup.

Let the Portokalopita cool completely before serving. This allows the syrup to fully penetrate and the flavors to develop.