Orange pie cake
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Orange pie cake
Crumbled filo pastry and a whole orange are the secrets behind this irresistible Greek cake, known as portokalopita. Once baked, it’s drenched in a fragrant citrus syrup, then pan-fried in brown butter for a golden caramelised crust. Or simply serve from the tin, Greek style
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Nikos Roussos
Executive chef of Opso and Kima restaurants in London, Nikos Roussos was an early pioneer in
bringing the concept of modern Greek dining to the UK, following the Michelin success of his first restaurant based in Athens
Nikos Roussos
Executive chef of Opso and Kima restaurants in London, Nikos Roussos was an early pioneer in
bringing the concept of modern Greek dining to the UK, following the Michelin success of his first restaurant based in Athens
Ingredients
- 1 x 270g pack filo pastry
- 1 orange (about 200g)
- soft butter, to grease
- 2 medium eggs
- 85g caster sugar
- 125ml whole milk
- 125ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the orange syrup
- 125g caster sugar
- 40g glucose syrup
- 1 star anise
- pared strips of zest from ½ orange
To serve
- 100g unsalted butter
- sea salt flakes
- vanilla ice cream (optional)
- zest of ½ orange
Step by step
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Unwrap the filo pastry and lay out the sheets on a large clean surface. Leave them uncovered at room temperature for about 3 hours, until dry and crisp. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the whole orange and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes until the orange is very soft. Transfer to a bowl of iced water and leave to cool.
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Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the orange syrup in a saucepan with 80ml water and set over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Strain into an airtight container and set aside in the fridge.
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Drain the orange, cut in half and remove any pips, then roughly chop (peel included) and transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend to a coarse purée. Crumble the dried filo into small pieces and set aside in a large bowl.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin (about 10cm x 20cm base measurement) and line with baking paper. In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk, sunflower oil, vanilla extract, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt until combined. Add the orange purée and whisk again until fully combined. Pour the orange mixture over the crumbled filo and gently fold together until evenly incorporated. Pour into the prepared tin and level out. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Immediately pour over all of the cold orange syrup. Leave to soak and cool completely at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then chill overnight.
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The next day, remove from the tin and cut into 8 thick slices. To serve, melt half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook until golden brown and nutty. Add half the orange pie cake slices and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly caramelised. If serving all 8 slices at once, repeat with the remaining butter and cake slices.
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Transfer the warm cake to serving plates and season each slice with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if you like, and sprinkle with orange zest.
