Greek Orange Cake (Portokalopita)
Makes one 10” cake
Greek Orange Cake is redolent of fresh sweet oranges. Its refreshing flavor makes it an excellent party dessert. I make the cake with nonfat yogurt, although lowfat or whole milk yogurt will also work.
Cake:
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp.)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plain Greek-style (strained) yogurt or 1 1/3 cups regular plain yogurt, strained through paper towel for at least 1 hour
2 eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Orange Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
4″-5” piece orange peel
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 10” springform pan.
Make Cake: Put butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Preferably using paddle attachment (the whisk attachment will also work), beat butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. If not using a BeaterBlade, scrape down sides of bowl to make sure ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add yogurt, and beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add orange juice and orange zest and beat well.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using either paddle attachment or wooden spoon, stir dry ingredients into batter just until they’re incorporated. Pour batter into prepared springform pan.
Bake cake for 40 – 45 minutes until top is golden brown, cake is set in center, and toothpick inserted into cake’s center comes out clean. Place cake on wire rack to cool, and immediately brush top of cake with orange glaze, using all of glaze. Cool cake for 10 minutes, then remove sides of springform pan. Let cake cool for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Make Orange Glaze: While cake is baking, make orange glaze. To make in microwave, mix water, sugar, orange juice, and orange rind together and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. The glaze is done when it begins to thicken slightly. If it’s not done after 2 minutes, return to microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds. When glaze thickens slightly, set aside until cake is out of oven. To make on top of stove, boil ingredients until mixture thickens slightly, and set aside until cake is done.
Pingback: RECIPE: Greek Orange Cake | plantook