The PHYLLO AND LEMON BUNDT CAKE, the lemon take on the classic PORTOKALOPITA (the Greek orange cake), is an easy-to-make but truly amazing dessert that captures the essence of Mediterranean flavors. It’s perfect to serve at the end of a meal or for a sweet break during the day, perhaps with a cup of tea. A dessert, I promise you, that will leave your guests speechless.
This bundt has a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, ideal for lovers of citrus aromas. Its strongest point is the unique texture: a soft, juicy crumb thanks to a mixture of shredded phyllo, lemon, Greek yogurt and a sweet lemon syrup.
I recommend preparing the phyllo and lemon bundt a few hours before serving so the cake can fully release its aroma and offer its full richness and harmony.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 lemons (unwaxed, juice and zest)
- 3/4 + 2 tbsp granulated sugar (about 180 g)
- cardamom (4 seeds, optional)
- 8 oz phyllo pastry (about 225 g (approximately 7–8 sheets, depending on brand))
- 2 eggs (medium, at room temperature)
- 1/3 + 1 tbsp granulated sugar (about 90 g)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil (about 125 g)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (0% fat, about 125 g)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (about 10 g)
- 1 lemon (zest)
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THE PHYLLO AND LEMON BUNDT
- 1 Bundt pan 10 in
- 1 Baking pan / tray
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- Electric whisk / hand mixer
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula
PREPARATION: PHYLLO AND LEMON BUNDT CAKE
Preparing the PHYLLO AND LEMON BUNDT CAKE is truly child’s play.
Preheat the oven to 248°F. Open the phyllo sheets and, one by one, scrunch them up starting from the short side. After scrunching one sheet, place it on a baking tray and continue until all sheets are used.
Bake them and dry them for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, let cool and crumble them coarsely.
In a pot place the sugar, water, the lemon juice and lemon zest.Bring the mixture to a boil; once it starts boiling, add the cardamom seeds (optional), reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let cool completely.In a very large bowl place the eggs, the sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk them with a mixer until light and very frothy.
Add the unwaxed lemon zest, the sunflower oil, the Greek yogurt at room temperature and the sifted baking powder.Mix all the ingredients well and add the phyllo little by little, folding it in with a spatula.
Brush a 10-inch bundt pan with sunflower oil and flour it, pour in the batter and level the surface.
Bake the phyllo and lemon cake in the preheated oven (conventional) at 356°F and cook for 30–35 minutes.Check the doneness with the classic toothpick test.
When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and, while still hot, prick it with a skewer and drizzle it with the cold syrup, from which you have removed the cardamom seeds.Keep a ladleful of syrup aside for the final decoration.
Let it rest for at least 8 hours so the syrup can fully penetrate and make it soft and juicy.
Gently invert it onto a serving plate, glaze it with more syrup and finish with lemon zest.
TIP
If you don’t have a 10-inch (25 cm) pan you can use one that is 8.7–9.5 inches (22–24 cm). The result will be the same, you’ll just get a taller cake. Of course you can also use a standard round cake pan or a rectangular/square baking pan.
If you don’t have a 10-inch (25 cm) pan you can use one that is 8.7–9.5 inches (22–24 cm). The result will be the same, you’ll just get a taller cake. Of course you can also use a standard round cake pan or a rectangular/square baking pan.
