the easiest (& the best) cherry pie you’ll ever make
No rolling out pastry – the pastry comes together fast then is pressed into the pie dish. Unlike other pastry, this pastry is cooked at a fairly low temperature & doesn’t get blind-baked. Make sure you turn the fan off in your oven – this pie cooks long & slow – almost an hour. Use either a glass or metal pie plate. The recipe has been tested with both & the cooking times & outcome were the same. It is important to grease the pan properly as the pastry can stick if you don’t. Serve with cream or ice cream but I prefer it unadorned.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
PIE CRUST
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plain
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (125g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (3 tablespoons in Australia)
- pinch of salt
CHERRY FILLING
- 15 oz 425ml can dark pitted cherries, well drained (or use about 1 1/2 cups of fresh, pitted cherries – left whole) *
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (1/4 cup plain flour in Australia)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- icing sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Thoroughly grease an 8 or 9-inch pie plate or tin. Preheat oven to 325F (190C/gas mark 3) – with no fan.
To make the pie crust:
- Rub the butter into flour until the dough comes together. Or place all ingredients in a good processor & blitz until the dough resembled wet sand. Scrape the dough into the greased pie plate or tin. Press the dough over the base & up the side of the pie plate until it just reaches the top edge – a lightly dusted glass with a flat bottom works best for doing this. Leave the pastry as-is or crimp it using your thumbs & index finger.
To make the filling:
- Scatter the cherries evenly over the pastry base. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until creamy, or throw them into the food processor & blitz until smooth – about 1 minute; pour over the cherries. Bake on the bottom rack in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, covering after about 40 minutes if the top is browning too fast, or until the base is browned & the filling is set. Cool completely before serving. Best made a day ahead. Just before serving, dust with a little icing sugar if desired.
- Served chilled or at room temperature. Cut into 6 to 8 wedges to serve.
Notes
Note: Both canned & fresh cherries work well in this recipe. Canned cherries are very convenient with no messy removal of the cherry pits. I will leave that decision to you. I’ve made it with both. The pie in the pictures was made with canned cherries.