Makes 10 to 12 servings
This rustic cake is our adaptation of a recipe from Honey & Co.: The Cookbook, by London restaurateurs and chefs Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer. Dense, moist, and filled from top to bottom with fruity, nutty flavor and texture, the cake is great as dessert, or with brunch or coffee or tea. The book’s recipe uses mahleb, a baking spice made from the seeds of a variety of cherry; we use easier-to-source almond extract instead.
Make sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut (not wide shavings); sweetened shredded coconut will make the cake too sugary. If fresh cherries aren’t readily available, don’t hesitate to use thawed frozen cherries — they’re equally tasty in the recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
141 grams (10 tablespoons) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
100 grams (1 cup) almond flour
86 grams (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour
40 grams (1/2 cup) shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
106 grams (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
73 grams (1/3 cup) packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups pitted fresh or frozen sweet cherries, thawed and patted dry
48 grams (1/3 cup) unsalted roasted pistachios, chopped
Powdered sugar, to serve (optional)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of kitchen parchment, then butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, and the coconut, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 106 grams (½ cup) white sugar, the brown sugar, and almond extract, then whisk until well combined. Whisk in the melted and cooled butter, then whisk in the dry ingredients until homogeneous; the batter will be thick but pourable.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using your hands, tear the cherries in half over the batter, allowing the juice to fall onto the surface, then drop the pieces onto the surface in an even layer. Sprinkle with the pistachios and the remaining 1 tablespoon white sugar.
Bake until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until barely warm to the touch, about 1 hour. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto a plate. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment. Re-invert the cake onto a platter. If desired, dust with powdered sugar.
Broken Phyllo Cake With Orange and Bay
Makes 10 to 12 servings
In Aegean: Recipes From the Mountains to the Sea, chef and author Marianna Leivaditaki tells of her attempts at portokalopita, a cake made with dry, broken-up bits of phyllo dough in place of flour. She recounts that it was a friend’s mother who baked the best, lightest version of portokalopita she’d ever had, and she obtained the recipe. The phyllo, cut into strips and dried in the oven, creates a layered structure in the cake that, when soaked with syrup, takes on a moist, pudding-like consistency. Greek yogurt and oil add richness while eggs bind and lift, with an assist from baking powder.
The cake is citrusy with grated orange zest, and the soaking syrup is infused with cinnamon, cardamom, and bay for added dimensions of flavor and fragrance. (Leivaditaki suggests topping the cake with bay dust, but we put the bay into the syrup.)
Make sure to zest the orange before juicing it. To remove the zest in strips, a Y-style peeler is the best tool. You will need two large oranges for this recipe — one to provide the zest strips and juice for the syrup and one to supply the grated zest for the cake. Also, don’t use a cake pan that’s less than 2 inches deep. In a shallower pan, the syrup may overflow the rim. Lastly, don’t allow the cake to cool before pouring on the syrup, and after the second half of the syrup is added, don’t be alarmed if it floods the pan; it will absorb as the cake cools.
Leftovers will keep well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to four days; serve slightly chilled or at room temperature. If you like, serve slices of the cake topped with a spoonful of lightly sweetened cream whipped with a little Greek yogurt.
For the syrup:
214 grams (1 cup) white sugar
4 3-inch strips orange zest, plus 1/2 cup orange juice (see headnote)
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods, lightly smashed
3 bay leaves
For the cake:
227 grams (8 ounces) phyllo, thawed
214 grams (1 cup) white sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
240 grams (1 cup) whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 cup grape-seed or other neutral oil
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
To make the syrup, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, orange zest strips and juice, cinnamon, cardamom, bay, and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then transfer to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl; you should have about 1 inch cups. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, to make the cake, heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Mist a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan with cooking spray, line the bottom with a round of kitchen parchment, then mist the parchment.
Roll the thawed phyllo lengthwise, then slice the roll crosswise ½-inch thick. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, using your hands to unfurl and separate the strips. Distribute in an even layer and bake until brittle and light golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, scraping up and flipping the phyllo once about halfway through; it’s fine if many of the pieces break as they’re turning. Cool to room temperature on the baking sheet.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and grated orange zest on medium speed until fragrant, about 30 seconds. With the mixer running on low, add the yogurt, oil, eggs, baking powder, and salt. Increase to medium speed and beat until the mixture is well combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, if needed, scrape any zest that is stuck to the paddle attachment back into the bowl.
Add half of the phyllo to the batter base and, using a silicone spatula, fold until the phyllo is reduced in volume and almost evenly moistened. Add the remaining phyllo and fold until well combined and no dry patches remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread in an even layer without compressing the phyllo. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. When the cake is almost done, remove and discard the zest strips, cinnamon, cardamom and bay from the syrup.
Set the cake on a wire rack. Using a toothpick, immediately poke holes in it, every ½ inch or so. Slowly pour half the syrup evenly onto the warm cake, then let stand for about 5 minutes to allow it to soak in. Slowly pour on the remaining syrup. The cake will not immediately take in all of the syrup, so liquid will flood the pan; this is normal. Cool until room temperature and all the syrup has been absorbed, at least 2 hours. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto a plate. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment. Reinvert the cake onto a serving platter.
Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to [email protected].
