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Broken Phyllo Cake with Orange and Bay
In “Aegean,” chef Marianna Leivaditaki tells of her attempts at portokalopita, a cake made with dry, broken-up bits of phyllo dough in place of flour. Like many Mediterranean sweets, the cake is doused with syrup after emerging from the oven, which partly explains the tendency toward a heavy, sodden texture. She recounts that it was a friend’s mother who baked the best, lightest version of portokalopita she’d ever had, and she obtained the recipe. The phyllo, cut into strips and dried in the oven, creates a layered structure in the cake that, when soaked with syrup takes on a moist, pudding-like consistency. Greek yogurt and oil add richness while eggs bind and lift, with an assist from baking powder. The cake is citrusy with grated orange zest, and the soaking syrup is infused with cinnamon, cardamom and bay for added dimensions of flavor and fragrance. (Leivaditaki suggests dusting the cake with bay dust, but we put the bay into the syrup.) If you like, serve slices of the cake topped with a spoonful of lightly sweetened cream whipped with a little Greek yogurt. Leftovers will keep well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to four days; serve slices slightly chilled or at room temperature.
10 to 12
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to zest the orange before juicing it. To remove the zest in strips, a Y-style peeler is the best tool. You will need two large oranges for this recipe—one to provide the zest strips and juice for the syrup and one to supply the grated zest for the cake. Also, don’t use a cake pan that’s less than 2 inches deep. In a shallower pan, the syrup may overflow the rim. Lastly, 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 the syrup floods the pan. As the cake cools, it will absorb the syrup.
2 hours
30 minutes active, plus cooling
For the syrup
-
214
grams (1 cup) white sugar
Directions
-
01To make the syrup, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, orange zest strips and juice, cinnamon, cardamom, bay and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then transfer to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl; you should have about 1⅔ cups. Cool to room temperature.
Reviews
September 6, 2026
A Never Fail Recipe
The broken phyllo orange cake is one of my favorite recipes of all time. It comes together easily, is absolutely unctuous and blows people away when they learn how it's made. I have made this dozens of times and it never fails to impress. The whipped cream with yogurt is a great finish. I always keep phyllo in the freezer to be sure it's on hand!
June 29, 2025
Scrumptious
Lovely, moist cake with a larger crumb texture than most cakes have. A very nice change from a typical cake. I used leaves from one of my own bay plants, which added a fresh floral note.
June 1, 2025
Easier than it looks
I have made this twice, it was a hit. When I strained the syrup, I found I had a lot less liquid than expected, so the second time making it, I doubled the syrup and added additional bay. Also used red cardamom pods, which added a subtle smokiness, and a dash of grand Marnier. I'd rather have extra syrup than not enough. . . The syrup makes an excellent addition to a cocktail 😁
April 24, 2025
Bravo
This was a wonderful surprise. My favorite Phyllo recipe next to my mother's Spanacopita. The texture is dense yet custard like. The syrup was out of this world
January 1, 2025
Another party stunner
Brought this for the neighborhood New Year’s party and it was a hit! Easy to follow recipe but the rise of the cake started to worry me as it was well over 2” but deflated quite a bit as it cooled. Be patient with the soak as it took much longer than the stated 2 hours. But well worth the effort.
I made this for our biweekly ladies' game night.... I usually make something savory, but I was intrigued by this cake. (Interestingly, the woman who usually bakes hit off the list of who's bringing what with something savory.). It was a hit! Everyone loved the flavor and flaky texture, expecially of the "crusty " top, bottom and edges. It was also very easy to make.
I actually repurposed the cinnamon stick, orange peel and bay leaves as a candied garnish for the top of the cake.
I made this cake. I make many cakes for personal use and commercially for weddings and high school food and culture class. I am always looking for new recipes. The flavor is nice but not in love with the pudding like texture. All agreed that it needs more orange rind. I would be a nice summer dessert if you want a pudding type dessert.
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This is delicious and turned out beautifully golden and shiny on top. It is a really unusual texture, and has a flavor that is reminiscent of french toast.