Lemonopita (Greek Lemon Phyllo Cake)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil.
• Remove phyllo sheets from the package. Tear each sheet roughly into shreds and pile up in the baking pan. Let shredded phyllo dry out a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• Make the syrup: Combine sugar, water, and zest of 2 lemons in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice from all 4 lemons. Allow syrup to cool while you prepare the cake.
• Combine yogurt, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and the remaining lemon zest in a blender or food processor. Blend together on high speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Pour lemon-egg mixture over the shredded phyllo in the baking pan. Stir everything together gently until egg mixture is evenly distributed, ensuring there are no dry spots of phyllo.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden and the filling set, about 45 minutes.
• Remove lemonopita from the oven and immediately ladle the cooled syrup over the hot cake. Set aside until most of the syrup has soaked in, at least 1 hour. Slice into squares and serve.