Every person I know loves this dessert and every person who has tried to make this dessert loves it even more because of it’s simplicity and easiness to prepare and bake! Even though a lot of recipes for portokalopita require orange juice to be used for the syrup or even in the custard, for this,only orange zest is used and my oh my does it make a difference! All the oils from the zest are infused in the pie and in the syrup making this pie extra special and yummy.
I have two advices for this recipe. The first is to look for oranges which are fresh and wax free because obviously if the orange has wax on it then you won’t have any success with getting the zest and the second advice is to enjoy how easy it is to make this dessert!
The process is straightforward. You dry the filo pastry -one packet of filo pastry- by tearing it in big chunks and letting them dry overnight or drying them out in the oven. I just left them to dry overnight. Make sure to toss the chunks every now and again so that every piece gets a chance to dry.
When the filo pastry is crispy and dry then prepare the syrup. Add 2 cups of sugar, two cups of water and the zest of one orange. Bring to the boil and let it boil for 4 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
Whilst the syrup is cooling, add 1 cup of sugar,1 cup of oil- olive oil or sunflower oil-, vanilla, zest of one orange, 250 gr yogurt,4 eggs and 2 tsp baking powder in a big bowl, whisk them together and add the filo. Gently stir and place in a baking tray, which you have previously brushed with some oil.
Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely golden. Once ready and hot pour the syrup slowly all over the surface of the dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup oil
- zest of 1 orange
- vanilla
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 250 gr yogurt
- 4 eggs
- 1 packet filo pastry
- For the syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
Step 1
Shred the filo pastry in big chunks and let it dry overnight. Make sure to toss the filo every now and then to ensure all the chunks have dried.
Step 2
The next day when the filo pastry is ready, prepare the syrup. Add the sugar, water and zest in a pot and bring to the boil. Once it starts bubbling let it boil for exactly four more minutes and remove from the heat to cool completely.
Step 3
Pre heat the oven at 190°C.
Step 4
Mix together the eggs, vanilla, orange zest, oil, sugar, yogurt and baking powder in a big bowl. Whisk them for the ingredients to combine and add the dried filo. Gently fold the filo pastry in the mixture for all the filo pastry to get covered in the custard.
Step 5
Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely golden.
Step 6
Remove from the oven and pour the syrup slowly on all the surface of the pie.
Notes
Best enjoyed cool!
