Cake
200g plain yoghurt
1¼ cups vegetable oil
1¼ cups sugar
1¼ cups fresh orange juice
4 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1½ oranges
1 tsp vanilla extract
440–450g phyllo pastry
4 medium eggs
Orange Syrup
1⅔ cups water
1⅔ cups sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Method
1. Dry the Phyllo Pastry
Remove the phyllo pastry from its packaging and separate the sheets.
Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes to dry.
Alternatively, dry the sheets in a 100°C oven until crisp.
2. Make the Syrup
In a saucepan, combine:
Water
Sugar
Orange zest
Cinnamon stick (if using)
Bring to the boil.
Simmer for 5–10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

3. Prepare the Cake Batter.Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar and eggs. Add the yoghurt, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the baking powder. Crumble the dried phyllo pastry into small pieces using your hands. Gradually fold the pastry into the batter, ensuring it is evenly coated.

4. Bake
Grease a 20 × 30cm baking dish with oil. Pour in the batter and spread evenly. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. Add the Syrup
While the cake is still hot, slowly ladle the cold syrup over the surface. Allow each ladleful to soak in before adding more. Let the cake absorb all the syrup. To Serve. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Serve cold, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.