This cinnamon and apple pie is an iconic Monday Morning Cooking Club recipe from the kitchen of Maxine Pacanowski in Sydney, Australia. It is in our first book, Monday Morning Cooking Club – the food, the stories, the sisterhood.
Since Chrissie Swan called it a ‘life changing apple pie’ on national television and Nigella Lawson wrote about it and baked her own version, it has been one of the most popular recipes in our collection. It is quick and easy to make, dairy free and just simply DELICIOUS.

Cinnamon Apple Pie
If you prefer, you can make the pie in a ceramic or glass baking dish and serve it in that dish.
Ingredients
- 6 - 8 granny smith apple peeled and sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar see NOTE
- 3 eggs
- 345 grams Caster (Superfine) Sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 375 ml light olive oil or vegetable oil (1 1/2 cups)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 225 grams Plain (All purpose) Flour (1 1/2 cups)
- extra cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and side of a 26 cm springform cake tin.
- Layer the apple slices in the prepared tin so they come about two-thirds of the way up the side. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples.
- Make a batter by beating the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well, then stir in the flour. Spoon the batter on top of the cinnamon-covered apples and sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Cool in the tin. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
- Note: To make cinnamon sugar to keep in your pantry, mix 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon with 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
If you would like to watch the step-by-step cookalong with Lisa and Natanya, you will find it right here:
Been making this for a few years now and always gets fantastic feedback.
Love it love it love it !! B
So happy to hear Brian!
Can’t wait to make this for the holiday. Do you think the gluten free one to one flour would work and taste the same? Thanks
Hi Sharryn, yes it works very well with GF flour.
can it be made ahead of time and frozen ?
Love this cake! Have you tried adapting the recipe to make it kosher for pesach? Wondering what to substitute the flour with please?
So happy you love it! No we haven’t tried. You could use the base of this cake and see how it goes: https://mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au/2021/03/18/leah-koenigs-passover-pear-cake/