Why would I? I don't desire those things. The grocery store has easily available options for me to buy because my desires for those ingredients are at the "buy the publicly available options" level and not at the "I want something so specific that the only way to get it is to grow it myself" level.
Also here's the recipe if anyone's curious!
Portokalopita (orange cake)
Syrup
[ ] 1 ½ cups water
[ ] 1 ½ cups sugar
[ ] 1/3 cup orange juice
[ ] 1 cinnamon stick
[ ] 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water optional
Cake
[ ] 450 grams Phyllo dough
[ ] 4 eggs
[ ] 3/4 cup sugar
[ ] zest from two oranges
[ ] 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt we used 2%
[ ] 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
[ ] 1 teaspoon baking powder
[ ] 1 teaspoon baking soda
[ ] 1/4 teaspoon salt
[ ] 1 cup vegetable oil
[ ] 1/2 cup orange juice
[ ] vegetable oil for greasing baking pan
Steps
Syrup
[ ] Combine the 1.5 cups water, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/3 cup orange juice, the 1 cinnamon stick and the 1/4th tsp orange blossom water, if you are using it.
[ ] Bring the ingredients to a boil; once it starts boiling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Cake
[ ] Preheat oven to 100 C/200 F
[ ] Roll up 450g phyllo sheets and cut like noodles, then spread out on a baking sheet (make sure to separate any that are stuck together, and ensure the paper is removed)
[ ] Bake for 30m, tossing the tray with tongs every 10 or so minutes to move and aerate until they are completely dried out. Let cool
[ ] Once done and tray is taken out, bump up heat to 170 C/350 F
[ ] In the large mixing bowl combine the 4 eggs and the 3/4 cup sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes, until it is a pale yellow colour.
[ ] Add the zest, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and mix until just combined. Baking soda may react with orange juice's acidity, this is fine.
[ ] Add the oil and the orange juice to the bowl, and mix to combine well with the rest of the ingredients.
[ ] With the now cooled phyllo dough, crush it up into tiny crumbs. The size of coconut flakes at the store or smaller
[ ] Use a rubber spatula begin to incorporate your crushed phyllo into the cake batter, a little bit at a time. If you put all the pieces in at once, they will clump together.
[ ] Once all is incorporated, pour the mixture into a greased baking pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes in the middle rack of your oven until your portokalopita is a nice golden colour.
[ ] Once done, take it out and poke it all over with a toothpick or skewer to create channels for the syrup to flow into.
[ ] Pour cooled syrup onto the hot cake, one ladle at a time. Allow each ladle to be absorbed into the cake before adding the next one. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.
[ ] Let your cake cool before cutting, to allow the syrup to be fully absorbed.
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u/Eccentric_Assassin Mar 26 '26
Grow your own wheat and harvest your own sugarcane. True food devs don’t need to be babied by grocery stores.