Portokalopita

Portokalopita is a classic Greek citrus dessert that is popular all year round. Phyllo (also called filo), which is a staple in Greek cooking both in savory and sweet recipes, is usually used to hold things together. For example, the creamy custard in bougatsa or the spinach in spanakopita, and other delicious creamy fillings wrapped in phyllo dough. Phyllo is not always easy to work with if not handled with care, risking it tearing or drying out. However when making portokalopita, the phyllo finds a new purpose. Here the phyllo is purposefully dried out and intentionally torn. The pastry is essentially a replacement for the flour in this Greek cake recipe. The easiest and quickest way to dry out the phyllo is to bake it at a low temperature. This is much more efficient and gives better results than leaving it in the open to air dry. Each sheet of phyllo should be scrunched up and placed on a baking sheet before being put into the oven. Class of desserts In Greece, any dessert soaked in syrup is essentially referred to as siropiasta. Portokalopita belongs to this class. The cake is drizzled with syrup after it is baked and is left to absorb all the syrup. Portokalopita is similar to karydopita (walnut cake), baklava, and pantespani, another orange-flavored cake. Cakes or desserts of these types taste better two to three days later, when the syrup is fully absorbed.