There's something about sour cherries that instantly takes you back. The sharp, tangy sweetness, the deep red juice, the memory of a grandmother's kitchen in summer. If you've got a bowl of fresh sour cherries — or even a jar of preserved ones — these five recipes are all you need to turn them into something truly special.
The best part? Every single one of these is quick to put together, uses simple pantry ingredients, and delivers the kind of comforting, homemade flavor that's hard to beat.
Classic sour cherry pie
Ingredients: 4 eggs, 400g plain flour, 250g icing sugar, 1 packet baking powder, 1 packet vanilla sugar, 100ml oil, 1 small pot of plain yogurt, 300g pitted sour cherries
How to make it: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with both sugars, baking powder, yogurt, and oil, then gradually stir in the flour until you have a smooth batter.
Gently fold in the egg whites, then pour the batter into a greased 35×35cm baking tin. Scatter the sour cherries generously over the top and bake at 180°C until golden. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar before serving.
Sour cherry chocolate truffles
Ingredients: 1kg crushed plain biscuits, 1 jar of preserved sour cherries (juice included), 6 tbsp cocoa powder, 6 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 bar of milk chocolate
How to make it: Mix the crushed biscuits with the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually add the cherry juice and stir until the mixture comes together — if it feels too sticky, add a little water to loosen it.
Shape the mixture into flat discs, place a single sour cherry in the center of each one, then roll them into balls. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and dip each truffle to coat. Pop them in the fridge until the chocolate sets firm. These are dangerously good.
Sour cherry strudel
Ingredients: 100g pitted sour cherries, 2 tbsp sugar, 200ml water, 2 tbsp semolina, 1 packet filo pastry sheets, butter
How to make it: Place the sour cherries in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and semolina, then cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a jam-like filling.
Lay out your filo sheets, brushing the bottom layer generously with melted butter. Stack at least three sheets (more if you like it extra flaky). Spread the cherry filling over the top sheet, roll it up tightly, brush the outside with butter, and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes until beautifully golden.
Vanilla sour cherry muffins
For the batter: 150g margarine, 150g flour, 2 eggs, 100g sugar, 4 tbsp apricot jam (or any jam you have), 12g baking powder, 1 jar of preserved sour cherries
For the cream: 400ml milk, 40g vanilla pudding powder, 70g margarine, 4 tbsp sugar
How to make it: Beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, then mix in the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and jam, then fold everything together. Stir in the drained sour cherries.
Fill muffin cases about three-quarters full and bake at 180°C for 25–30 minutes. While they bake, make the cream: whisk the milk, sugar, and pudding powder together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick. Let it cool before topping the muffins — the contrast of the tangy cherry and smooth vanilla cream is absolutely worth the extra step.
No-bake sour cherry cheesecake
Ingredients: 100g ladyfinger biscuits, 1 litre warm milk, 1 tbsp rum, 150g sour cherries, 75g sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 10g gelatin, 150g cream cheese, whipped cream
How to make it: Mix the warm milk with the rum. Cut the ladyfingers in half, briefly dip them in the rum milk, and use them to line the base and sides of a 20cm round dish or springform pan — pack them in snugly, because this is what holds the cream.
In a saucepan, combine the sour cherries with the sugar and vanilla, then cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Let it cool slightly, then blend until smooth. Stir in the gelatin and leave to set for a few minutes.
Whip about 200ml of cream and fold it together with the cream cheese, then mix this into the cherry base. Pour the filling over the biscuit layer, top with a generous swirl of whipped cream, and refrigerate overnight. By morning, you'll have a stunning, wobble-perfect dessert ready to slice.
Tip: All five of these recipes work beautifully with jarred preserved sour cherries too — so don't wait for peak season to give them a try.
