This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Broken Phyllo Baklava Cake

10-12 Servings

2 hours 30 minutes active, plus cooling

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Fussing over delicate phyllo is tedious. Instead, smash it! This dessert is a riff on chef Maria Leivaditaki’s recipe for portokalopita, a Greek syrup-soaked cake made from broken bits of phyllo dough in place of flour. The cake is moist, rich and delicious on its own, but it’s even better with yogurt-spiked whipped cream. To make, combine 1 cup cold heavy cream, ¼ cup cold plain whole-milk Greek yogurt and 1½ tablespoons white sugar; whip until soft peaks form. The cake keeps well and can be made a day in advance and held at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days.

10-12

Servings

Tip

Don’t use a cake pan that’s less than 2 inches deep. In a shallower pan, the syrup may overflow the rim. Don’t allow the cake to cool before pouring on the syrup, and after the second half of the syrup is poured on, don’t be alarmed if it floods the pan. As the cake cools, it will be absorbed.

2 hours

30 minutes active, plus cooling

For the syrup:

  • 214

    grams (1 cup) white sugar

Directions

Reviews
LESLIE L.
March 29, 2026
One of the best!
It does take longer than the 2 hours stated but it is well worth the time and effort. Not too sweet and amazingly moist.
LINDA R.
December 24, 2025
Delicious!
I’ve made the other phyllo cake from Milk Street (broken phyllo cake with orange and bay), and I was excited to see this variation. I made it tonight for a holiday dessert, and it turned out great. So moist and full of flavor. I especially like the pistachios adding some additional texture to the cake. I followed the recipe exactly, including using rosewater.
Simona G.
August 11, 2025
Insanely good! One of the best desserts
I was skeptical of this recipe but gave it a try and wow!— the flavors and texture are simply amazing! I didn’t think I’d appreciate either, but they are truly spot on. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t use the rose water. I will certainly make this one again. And again.
Ann S.
March 2, 2025
Came together so easily!
I was really relieved at how easy and quickly this recipe came together. The flavor was incredible!
JENNIFER H.
March 20, 2026
tasty but could use more flavor
I made the syrup as instructed but I felt that the cardamom and pepper corns did not come through. I think they should be toasted before adding the other ingredients and that the cardamom could come out of the pods or just be added in a powdered form to the syrup. I do wish I had weighed out the phyllo dough as I believe I added too much which made it less moist.

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