24 Cherry Baked Good Recipes That Are Perfectly Sweet And Tart

When cherry season hits, it's the perfect time to get creative with some fruit-loaded recipes. And somewhere that cherries truly shine is incorporated into baked goods. They add the most wonderful hit of sweet-tart flavor, while bringing their signature juiciness and striking color. Plus, cherries are packed with nutrients, being an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so using them in your baking is a win-win.

Fresh, frozen, or canned cherries can all serve as fantastically versatile additions to your bakes. When cooked, these plump little fruits take on a moreish, gooey texture, which yields a comforting yet refreshing result. They can feature as the star ingredient in a whole host of homemade treats, from cheesecakes and cookies to pies and cobblers. You can stir them into a batter to add pops of fruity flavor, layer them with whipped cream to create a decadent cake filling, or spoon them into pastry cases for a fruit-forward finish. So, here are some of the very best ways to transform a batch of cherries into something altogether more indulgent.

We're kicking things off with these pleasing little tarts that boast an elegant appearance and the flavor profile to match. They're made with fresh or frozen cherries, which get simmered into a thick, syrupy filling. The tarts also feature a herbed goat cheese-ricotta mixture that's spread onto each puff pastry square before layering the cherry filling on top and baking everything until flaky and golden. And, a final drizzle of spicy hot honey really takes these fruity tarts to the next level.

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Cherry Tarts With Hot Honey

A fruit crisp is the ultimate cozy crowd-pleaser, and cherries are the perfect addition. In this easy recipe, you'll simply mix the pitted fresh cherries with cornstarch, sugar, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract before spreading them into a baking dish and layering over the sweet, crumbly topping. Once baked, it'll be delightfully golden and bubbling around the edges. Serving it warm is a must, perhaps with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, custard, or whipped cream.

Recipe: Fresh Summer Cherry Crisp

This rustic French dessert might sound fancy, but it's far easier to make than you'd think. The batter perfectly balances lightness and indulgence, being wonderfully airy thanks to the thorough whisking of the eggs before adding the other ingredients, but also deliciously rich from the addition of heavy cream. Once prepped, the batter is poured over the pitted cherries in a baking pan and baked until puffed up. The resulting bake is tender, moist, and studded with pops of sweet-tart deliciousness. Serve it with a dusting of powdered sugar for an elegant finish.

Recipe: Easy Cherry Clafoutis

In this recipe, we use cherry juice rather than whole fruits, but these bakes are still amazingly sweet, fruity, and satisfying. Here, the juice is heated with pectin and sugar to create a thick jelly, which makes an incredible filling for puff pastry. Topped with a dollop of the jam, each pastry square is folded to create a triangle and crimped at the edges. With a quick brush of egg wash and sprinkling of turbinado sugar, the turnovers are then baked to golden brown perfection.

Recipe: Freshly Baked Turnovers With Cherry Jelly

Wholesome, satisfying, and bursting with natural tartness, this pie features both dried and frozen sour cherries, which creates a mouth-watering textural contrast. It's also infused with the boozy kick of cherry liqueur and the brightness of lemon zest, giving the pie a more grown-up feel. The pie dough is made from scratch, with a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour, which yields a slightly more tender texture than traditional pastry. And that lattice top adds heaps of visual appeal. This one is sure to impress your dinner party guests.

Recipe: Sour Cherry Pie

It's well known that chocolate and cherries make an incredible pairing, but this pie combines these flavors in a rather creative way. Here, the homemade pastry is infused with cocoa powder, giving it a dark, decadent appearance and rich chocolatey taste. As for filling, this is also an elevated take on the usual fruit mixture. The sweet-tart pitted cherries are simmered with pomegranate juice, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and condensed milk, and this vibrant medley is just as sweet, fruity, and creamy as it sounds.

Recipe: Pomegranate Cherry Cocoa Pie

If you're after a fuss-free bake that can be whipped up in under half an hour, these chocolate cherry cookies are the perfect option. Soaked in bourbon for a burst of boozy warmth, the dried sour cherries create moreish pockets of tartness in the sweet, cocoa-infused dough. The cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle, offering just the right balance of sweetness and sourness. They're ideal for dunking into milk or enjoying with a steaming mug of coffee.

Recipe: Chocolate Bourbon Cherry Cookie

This black forest cake is nothing short of a showstopper, but it's actually incredibly easy to make. The recipe leans into the convenience of boxed devil's food cake mix, which takes mere minutes to whip up into a batter. You'll bake this in two round cake pans until tender and fluffy, then sandwich and top the layers with a mouth-watering medley of treats. There's a rich cream cheese-vanilla mixture, syrupy canned cherry pie filling, fresh pitted cherry halves, and a final scattering of chocolate shavings. Yum!

Recipe: Easy Black Forest Cake

We love a hassle-free bake, and this dump cake ticks all the boxes, requiring just four ingredients and minimal effort. First, a layer of cherry pie filling is added to the bottom of a baking pan. Then, mix up some cola, chocolate chips, and devil's food cake mix, and pour this on top. Now, the cake is ready for baking. It'll be gloriously moist, chocolatey, and loaded with fruity cherry flavor. This cake will taste even more delicious topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Cherry Cola Dump Cake

Topped with impressive rosettes of luscious whipped cream and filled with a pudding-like chocolate cream mixture, this pie is a fantastically sophisticated way to use a batch of fresh cherries. The crust is made with buttery Oreo crumbs, which add extra sweetness while continuing the chocolate theme, and the cherry topping is gloriously tender and syrupy. The result is a remarkably complementary combination of flavors and textures.

Recipe: Black Forest Cream Pie With Oreo Crust

Infused with the warmth of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, this spicy cobbler is sure to bring cozy vibes on chilly evenings. To thicken the cherries' natural juices slightly, you'll first mix them with flour, sugar, and the spices in a baking dish before layering over the buttery cobbler topping. For this element, we use both almond flour and almond extract, which impart a gorgeous nutty taste that fits in brilliantly alongside the fruit and spices.

Recipe: Almond Spiced Cherry Cobbler

Empanadas are often filled with savory ingredients such as meats and cheeses, but turning them into a sweet dessert is a game-changing approach. Once the buttery dough has been rolled out and cut into circles, you'll top it with a gooey cherry mixture. This can be made with fresh or frozen sweet pitted cherries, which get heated with the usual additions of cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and water to make them extra saucy. Folded, sealed, and baked, these handheld treats are bursting with fruitiness.

Recipe: Sweet, Gooey Cherry Pie Empanadas

Tender, fluffy, and topped with a glorious creamy cherry mixture, these kolache buns are absolutely worth the effort. These perfectly portioned delights are made with a yeasted dough that undergoes two rounds of proofing to help them achieve the ultimate soft, chewy texture. To make the filling, cream cheese is mixed with cinnamon, milk, and sugar, and this moreish mixture is paired with a dollop of canned cherry pie filling, with everything spooned atop each bun before baking.

Recipe: Cherry Cinnamon Kolaches

Would you believe us if we told you that this showstopping treat could be prepared in just 15 minutes? Using a trusty microwave method, this cake is indeed ready to serve in a jiffy. There's a layer of cinnamon-spiced cherries on the bottom, and a simple sponge cake batter on top, all cooked in a microwaveable bowl until fluffy and risen. To serve it, you'll flip the bowl upside down, leaving the gooey cherry layer on top. Serve this beauty warm with more fresh cherries and plenty of whipped cream.

Recipe: 15-Minute Cherry Upside-Down Cake

A classic bread pudding is an undeniably comforting treat, and this version is made all the more delicious with the addition of cherries and pecans. Toasted French bread serves as a robust base for soaking up the rich flavors of the soaking mixture, which consists of eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dried cherries and chopped pecans are scattered over the soaked bread, adding crunch and chewiness to every bite, and a sticky caramel sauce gives the finished bake a serious upgrade.

Recipe: Cherry Pecan Bread Pudding

You'd never guess that just three ingredients are required to create this wholesome dessert. It's a cherry cobbler, made dump cake-style, and step one is spooning cans of cherry pie filling into the bottom of a baking pan. Then, all that's left to do is mix some boxed white cake mix with melted butter to make a crumbly topping, which is used to top the cherries before baking. Once the oven has worked its magic, you'll be left with an irresistible combination of golden brown, cakey topping and sweet, gooey fruit.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Cherry Cobbler

Another brilliantly straightforward, cherry-packed recipe, this dump cake will take just five minutes of your time to prep before it's oven-ready. Just add a mixture of cherry compote and fresh, pitted cherry halves to your baking dish and pour boxed white cake mix on top. Next, drizzle over a layer of melted butter, and pop everything into the oven. The cake should come out bubbly, soft, and golden — perfect for topping with your favorite ice cream.

Recipe: Easy Cherry Dump Cake

Jammy cherry pie filling makes for a mouth-watering topping in this creamy baked cheesecake recipe. This dessert has a classic, buttery graham cracker crumb base and a cream cheese and sour cream-based filling infused with almond and vanilla extracts. To promote even cooking and prevent cracking, the cheesecake is baked with a dish of water placed underneath, which gently steams it as it bakes. Once fully cooled, it gets the cherry treatment, with the canned pie filling simply spooned all over the top.

Recipe: Classic Cherry Cheesecake

This three-ingredient wonder is another bake that features the classic combo of chocolate and cherries, and it certainly delivers on taste and texture. Here, we simply combine boxed chocolate cake mix with eggs and canned cherry pie filling, and bake the mixture in a rectangular pan. It's a dessert that'll appeal equally to kids and adults, and there's plenty of room for customization when it comes to toppings. Try serving it with extra fresh cherries or berries and whipped cream, or even topping it with a chocolatey glaze.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake

Pineapple and cherries are an outstanding match, blending tanginess, sharpness, and sweetness. And, to make this convenient crisp, you can absolutely use canned versions of both fruits. Just mix up a sweet, buttery topping with chewy old-fashioned oats and some warming spices, and mix a little of this with the fruity base. The rest of the topping is then sprinkled over the top, ready for baking. The top layer will crisp up beautifully in the oven, creating an irresistible contrast to the tender cherries and pineapple chunks beneath.

Recipe: Easy Pineapple Cherry Crisp

With a fluffy chocolate cupcake base and a smooth, cherry-flavored frosting, these cupcakes are oozing with visual appeal, and they taste incredible, too. To achieve that pastel pink hue and sweet-tart taste, the buttercream frosting is infused with the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries. To assemble the cakes, pipe a swirl of frosting onto the top, scatter over some sprinkles, and garnish each with a vibrant maraschino cherry. These could easily pass for something picked up from a bakery!

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Two ingredients and 20 minutes of your time are all it takes to whip up these individual cherry-filled pies. To ensure the batch is uniform in size and shape, assemble the pies in a muffin pan. Start by pressing cut-out circles of pie crust into each muffin hole, then spoon canned cherry pie filling into each pastry cup. They'll only need around 10 to 15 minutes in the oven to puff up. We love enjoying them with a generous dollop of Cool Whip.

Recipe: Mini Cherry Pie

Delightfully chewy-crisp in texture, and loaded with rich, fruity flavor, these cherry-stuffed chocolate cookies offer a fruity twist on your usual choc chip-studded bakes. Here, fresh cherries are heated with sugar and lemon juice until lovely and jammy, and this thickened fruit mixture is sandwiched between two pieces of chocolate cookie dough. Once baked, this creates a pocket of gooey goodness inside each cookie, making the eating experience all the more exciting.

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry-Stuffed Cookies

A hint of booze can elevate a dessert to no end, especially when there are cherries involved. These fruits make a fitting accompaniment to nutty amaretto, which is used to enhance the cherry topping in this decadent baked cheesecake. A medley of cream cheese, mascarpone, and sour cream makes the filling extra rich and creamy, and the almond notes of the liqueur complement this amazingly well. You can absolutely opt for frozen cherries to keep things convenient here.

Recipe: Boozy (Just Slightly) Cherry Cheesecake

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