Easy Cherry Dessert Recipe

Easy Cherry Dessert

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This baked dessert is a combination between a pie and a crumble and the perfect recipe when you want something more elaborate than a fruit crumble but something easier than a pie where you need to roll out crust. The base consists of a graham cracker crust, the middle layer is a creamy egg and sour cream batter, and the top is cherry pie filling. 

It can be served warm like a crumble or cooled like a pie. Despite it being so simple, it makes a scrumptious dessert not only for a family dinner but also for holidays and other special occasions. 

This is a versatile recipe that you can adapt to your taste, to the seasonal fruit that’s available, or to the ingredients that you have at hand. Instead of cherry pie filling, you can use other fruit pie filling, such as blueberry or peach pie filling. Of course, you are not limited by what’s available as ready-made store-bought pie fillings, you can also make your own pie filling from scratch. The only thing to keep in mind is that the filling should be one that is suitable for baking and not one that is used to fill a baked crust. Also, the filling should be quite thick, which requires a thickener such as cornstarch, flour, or arrowroot. The juicier the fruit, the more thickener is needed to make the filling set. If the filling is too runny, it will seep into the bottom layers and make them soggy. Depending on the fruit you are using, you can swap the cinnamon in the sour cream layer for vanilla extract or finely grated lemon zest.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter (melted)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 can (20 ounces) cherry pie filling

Steps to Make It

  1. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or spray with baking spray. Heat oven to 325 F.

  2. In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the butter.

  3. Mix until well blended.

  4. Press about 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the prepared baking pan.

  5. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the sour cream, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.

  6. Pour over the bottom crust.

  7. Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the sour cream layer.

  8. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the cherry layer.

  9. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a knife or cake tester, comes out clean when inserted in the center.

  10. Serve warm or cooled.

  11. Cover leftovers and store them in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
670 Calories
30g Fat
94g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 670
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 214mg 71%
Sodium 374mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 94g 34%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Protein 10g
Calcium 139mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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