Food Recipe Collections & Favorites Desserts 12 Cherry Dessert Recipes To Make This Summer and Beyond Get ready for cherry cakes, pies, bars, and more. By Samantha Leffler Samantha Leffler Samantha is the senior food editor at RealSimple and previously launched the US Weekly food vertical, where she wrote about the intersection of food and pop culture. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 10, 2024 Close Photo: Fred Hardy When it comes to cherry dessert recipes you’ve likely had a slab of classic cherry pie and a piece of cherry cake, but the sweet-yet-tart fruit goes well beyond those typical confections. In fact cherries (in many cases fresh, canned, or even frozen) shine in homemade ice cream, a fruit cobbler, a clafoutis, and more. So, whether you’re looking for something to do with a fresh cherry haul or recently found a can of cherry pie filling languishing in the back of your pantry, we’ve got a bevy of cherry dessert recipes you can make tonight. If you’re on the hunt for a classic cherry recipe, we love Cherries Jubilee. If you’re a bit more confident in your baking skills and in the mood to try something new, give our Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake a try. Whatever cherry dessert you’re in the mood for, we’ve got the recipe for you! 14 Cherry Recipes To Whip Up With Fresh Cherries, Frozen Cherries, and More 01 of 12 Cherry-Vanilla Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos While this might look like a classic bundt cake from the outside, this treat has a major wow factor—a cascade of cherries hidden inside the sweet, tender crumb. To create this showstopper, you’ll add a cake batter enhanced with yogurt to the pan in two batches, with a store-bought cherry pie filling sandwiched between. If you need a make-ahead dessert, prepare this cake a day in advance and dust with confectioners’ sugar just before putting it on the table. Serve each slice with some fresh cherries for even more fruit. get the recipe 02 of 12 Amaretto Sour Popsicles Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner For a vegan warm weather dessert that doesn’t disappoint, give these amaretto sour pops a whirl. They taste like a frozen version of the popular cocktail, and look like a stunning summer sunset. Serve 'em with fresh orange slices and cherries for optimal refreshment. get the recipe 03 of 12 No-Churn Chocolate-Cherry Ice Cream Fred Hardy No ice cream maker? No problem! All you need to make this silky, creamy ice cream is a saucepan to make a cherry jam, an electric mixer to blend cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream, and a freezer. Eliminate a step by using store-bought cherry jam if you don’t have cherries, but allow at least four hours of freezer time for the best results. get the recipe 04 of 12 Cherries Jubilee Joseph De Leo Cherries Jubilee is an oldie but goody that's been around since the late 1800s (Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, to be exact). Simmer the cherries with Kirsch or brandy until its liquid is slightly thickened (and the alcohol burns off), pour it over vanilla ice cream, and enjoy! get the recipe 05 of 12 Cherry Coconut Dump Cake Caitlin Bensel When you see "dump cake" in the title, you know the dish is going to be a breeze to make. This cherry coconut dump cake is no exception. Mostly pantry staple ingredients are mixed together and then placed into a pan to bake. It doesn't get much easier (or tastier) than that. get the recipe The Best Strawberry Desserts That Go Beyond Shortcake 06 of 12 Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake José Picayo The gingersnap crust is the star here, and sets this cheesecake recipe apart from others. The flavorful crust is perfectly balanced with the mild, creamy filling and the sweet cherry preserves. While you can use store-bought preserves, you can also make your own if you’ve got a bunch of fresh cherries that you need to use. get the recipe 07 of 12 Semi-Homemade Cherry Cake Diana Rattray This delicious cherry cake tastes fully homemade, but the recipe actually calls for a box of yellow cake mix, which helps this dessert come together in just 45 minutes from start to finish. In addition to the cake mix, you’ll also need flour, a can of cherry pie filling, powdered sugar, and an optional whipped cream topping. To switch things up, feel free to play around with different cake mix and pie filling combinations. get the recipe 08 of 12 The Best Easy Cherry Pie Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik Unlike the cake above, this dessert calls for fresh cherries, and about two pounds of them at that. You’ll need to pit the cherries, but once they’re pitted you’ll mix them with lemon juice, sugar, salt, and tapioca starch. The filling is then transferred to a double pie crust, and topped with a picture-perfect lattice-top design. Serve the pie warm with a side of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for one epic dessert. get the recipe 09 of 12 Sweet Cherry Cobbler Cindy Rahe This summery cobbler, which is filled with pitted fresh cherries, boasts a biscuit-like topping that’s less sweet than something you’d find in a pie or cake. The filling, which can be made with frozen cherries if you don’t have the fresh fruit on hand, also includes granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt for balance. If you need a summertime dessert that’s ready in under an hour, give this one a go. get the recipe 10 of 12 Cherry Crumb Pie The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney This take on cherry pie features a crumbly topping made with plenty of butter, flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Not only is this component of the pie downright delicious, it’s also much easier to make than a classic double pie crust, and offers a different texture. get the recipe 17 Delicious Strawberry Recipes That Call For Fresh-Picked Fruit 11 of 12 Classic Cherry Clafoutis Serious Eats / Qi Ai A clafoutis is one of those desserts that sounds very fancy, but is surprisingly easy to whip up. This version includes a classic sweet cherry filling, which you can enhance with pure vanilla extract and an optional dash of Kirsch. While you don’t need the Kirsch, it really takes this dessert to the next level. get the recipe 12 of 12 Cherry Pie Bars The Spruce / Diana Rattray Baking a pie can be a time consuming, intricate process. However, making pie bars is decidedly simpler to do and delivers very similar results. Cherry pie filling makes up the filling for these easy bars, while the base is a buttery sugar cookie dough. To kick things up a notch, add some semisweet chocolate chips to the cherry layer for a Black Forrest twist. get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit