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Cherry pie is one of those desserts that does not need much explaining. Buttery shortcrust pastry, juicy cherry filling, a little cinnamon and crumbs with almonds on top. Everything bakes into a dessert that feels homely enough for a Sunday table and pretty enough to serve to guests without hesitation.
The charm of this recipe is in the balance. The pastry is delicate and buttery, the cherry filling is just sweet enough with a fruity tartness, and the almonds add that pleasant crunchy finish. It is best while still slightly warm, especially if a scoop of vanilla ice cream lands next to it.
Cherry pie with buttery shortcrust pastry, thick cherry filling, a gentle touch of cinnamon and a crunchy topping made from pastry crumbs and almonds. A simple homemade dessert that shines best while still slightly warm.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 150 g butter, softened
- 100 g sugar
- 280 g flour
- 1 medium egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
For the cherry filling
- 1 jar preserved sour cherries or tart cherries, drained weight about 380 g
- 350 ml cherry juice from the jar
- 1 and 1/2 heaped tablespoons cornstarch, about 20 g
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons sugar
- a little cinnamon
For the topping
- reserved piece of pastry
- 2 tablespoons flour
- flaked almonds, to taste
Method
1. Prepare the pastry
Take the butter out of the fridge about half an hour before preparing the pastry so it softens slightly. Add the butter, sugar, flour, egg, baking powder, vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Knead everything into a smooth, soft dough. At first, the mixture may look a little crumbly, but as you knead it, it will come together into a nice dough.
2. Reserve part of the pastry for the crumble
Take a piece of the prepared dough about the size of a small orange. Wrap this piece or place it in a small container and transfer it to the fridge. You will use it later for the crumbly topping on the pie.
3. Shape the base
Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured work surface. Do not roll it too thin, because the base needs to hold the cherry filling nicely. Transfer the dough to a pie dish or cake tin. Smooth it over the bottom and pull it up the sides about 2 to 3 cm high. Prick the base several times with a fork and place the tin somewhere cool.
4. Prepare the cherries
Tip the sour cherries or tart cherries into a sieve and make sure you catch the juice. You need about 350 ml of cherry juice. If you have slightly less, you can add a little water if needed, but the best flavour comes when you use as much juice from the jar as possible.
5. Cook the cherry filling
Pour about two thirds of the cherry juice into a small saucepan, add the sugar and bring it to the boil. Smoothly mix the remaining juice with the cornstarch so there are no lumps. When the juice in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. Cook briefly until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.
6. Add the cherries
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir the drained cherries into the thickened cherry filling and add a little cinnamon. Gently mix so the cherries are evenly distributed through the filling, then leave it to cool slightly.
7. Assemble the pie
Spread the slightly cooled cherry filling over the prepared pastry base and smooth it out. Take the reserved piece of pastry from the fridge, add 2 tablespoons of flour and knead it just enough for it to become more crumbly. Then roughly crumble it over the cherry filling. Add flaked almonds if desired.
8. Bake
Bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180 °C, top and bottom heat, for about 35 minutes. It is baked when the edges and the crumbs on top turn gently golden. After baking, let the pie rest for a while so the filling settles and the pie is easier to slice.
9. Serve
This cherry pie is excellent served warm. Cut it into slices and serve it plain, with powdered sugar or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The ice cream gives it that “one more slice, please” effect.
Tip
If you are using very tart sour cherries, add 2.5 tablespoons of sugar. If the cherries are sweeter, 2 tablespoons will be enough. Do not slice the pie straight from the oven, because the filling will still be too soft. Give it a few minutes of peace and it will cut much more neatly.
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