SYDNEY, October 2026 — This milopita recipe turns five apples, cinnamon and a light butter cake into Greece’s favourite autumn bake, ready in about an hour with one bowl, one saucepan and a pie dish.
Milopita takes its name from two Greek words: milo, meaning apple, and pita, meaning pie. Across Greece, the word covers everything from filo-wrapped pies to soft, sliced-apple cakes, and every family seems to have its own version.
Greek City Times first shared this milopita recipe as its house version in 2020. This refreshed version keeps the same simple cake-style method, with clearer steps and a few tips for getting it right.
What makes a good milopita recipe
The best milopita recipe balances a tender, vanilla-scented sponge with apples that soften but keep their shape. In this version, cinnamon butter is spooned over the fruit, so the top bakes into a sticky, golden layer.
Whisked egg whites do the lifting. As a result, the cake stays light even under a thick layer of fruit, and it slices cleanly once it cools.
It suits almost any time of day. Greeks eat milopita with morning coffee, as an afternoon treat or as dessert with a spoonful of thick yoghurt. In particular, it shines in autumn, when new-season apples reach the markets.
Ingredients
This milopita recipe fills a round pie dish of about 23 to 25 centimetres and serves eight.
For the apples:
- 5 large red apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
For the cinnamon butter:
- 60g butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake:
- 100g butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
To finish:
- 1 teaspoon icing sugar
- Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C and grease the pie dish.
- Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice in a bowl so they don’t brown, then set them aside.
- Melt the 60g of butter with 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat.
- Beat the softened butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, vanilla and egg yolks with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
- Fold in the flour and milk in two rounds, alternating between them.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then gently fold them into the batter, along with the walnuts if you’re using them.
- Spread the batter evenly in the dish.
- Drain the apples and stir half of the warm cinnamon butter through them. Arrange the slices over the batter, then drizzle the rest of the cinnamon butter over the top.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden and a skewer pushed into the cake comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, dust with icing sugar and serve warm.
Overall, the active work in this milopita recipe takes about 20 minutes. Most of the remaining time is baking and cooling.
Choosing apples for milopita
Firm, slightly tart apples work best in a milopita recipe, because soft varieties can turn to mush in the oven. Even so, sweet red apples give the classic flavour, so many cooks mix the two.
Greece grows some highly rated apples. In February 2026, Greek City Times reported that Mila Zagoras Piliou topped TasteAtlas’ list of the best Greek apples. The protected apple comes from orchards around Zagora on Mount Pelion, according to TasteAtlas.
Outside Greece, any good local apple will do. Slice them thinly and evenly, so they cook at the same rate.
For extra flavour, add a pinch of ground cloves to the cinnamon butter, or swap the walnuts for almonds. Similarly, a little orange zest in the batter adds a fresh note that suits the apples. If you use walnuts, toast them lightly in a dry pan first for a deeper flavour.
Milopita keeps for two to three days in an airtight container in a cool place, or a little longer in the fridge. In addition, it reheats well in a low oven, which brings back the sticky top.
Greek food guide TasteAtlas also lists the dish among traditional Greek desserts. Still, the best milopita recipe is usually the one handed down at home, so treat this version as a starting point.
The post Milopita: An Easy Greek Apple Pie for Autumn appeared first on Greek City Times.