Easy Sour Cherry Tart
This easy sour cherry tart pairs a buttery shortcrust base with a thick, jammy filling of pitted sour cherries cooked down with coconut sugar, a splash of rum, and corn starch to set it. You press the dough into a 20 cm pan, fill it, and bake at 180C for about 20 minutes until golden. It is a quick summer dessert that lets the fruit do the talking.
This easy sour cherry tart is part of my series of everyday recipes, the unplanned, spontaneous, real food I prepare for me and my husband, and sometimes our friends too when they come to visit. I do not really make desserts that often because I am not a huge fan of sweets, and I do not have a sweet tooth on a daily basis, which is why you will not find cakes or muffins in my fridge on a regular basis.
When I do put a dessert together without a special occasion, it is usually because I have some fruit lying around that is about to spoil and I have to use it quickly. I really HATE wasting food and throwing produce away, and now that I have my own garden it is even harder for me to accept. It is like a little piece of my heart breaks knowing how much time and effort I put into growing everything from scratch. With these sour cherries, half of them we served fresh because they were sweet and yummy, and I decided to turn the rest into this tart. This recipe is all about avoiding food waste, a habit I hope you will develop as well.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- A fast way to rescue a batch of sour cherries before they spoil instead of throwing them in the bin.
- A simple summer dessert you can pull together on a whim, without a special occasion or fancy plan.
- A make-and-share tart for friends who drop by, that still feels special with minimal effort.
- A fruit-forward sweet that is not cloyingly sugary, ideal if you, like me, are not big on heavy desserts.
- A no-rolling-pin-required bake, because you can press the dough straight into the pan with your hands.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is quick and uncomplicated. My recipe is extremely simple and fast, and you already know how much I dislike long, complicated recipes, especially when it comes to desserts.
- It fights food waste. This is my go-to when fruit is about to turn, so nothing from the garden ends up wasted.
- The filling is properly thick. Corn starch sets the cherry juices into a glossy, sliceable filling rather than a runny puddle.
- The crust is buttery and short. A high-fat butter and a quick pulse in the food processor give you a tender, crumbly base.
- Sour cherries shine. Their natural tartness balances the coconut sugar so the tart tastes of fruit, not just sweetness.
- It is forgiving. No rolling pin, no special equipment needed, just a glass bottom and wet hands to press the dough in.
Ingredient Notes
Sour cherries are the heart of this tart. Use 500 g, about 2 cups, pitted. Their bright acidity is the whole point, so do not swap in sweet cherries unless you want a flatter, jammier result. Pick fruit that is firm and deeply colored, and pit them over a bowl so you keep every drop of juice, which is exactly what thickens into the filling. Fresh from the garden is ideal, but frozen and thawed sour cherries work too if that is what you have to use up.
White flour forms the shortcrust base, 250 g or about 1 ½ cups. Plain all-purpose flour is what you want here, not bread flour, because you are after tenderness, not chew. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping, so you do not pack in too much and end up with a dry, tough crust.
Butter at 82% fat, 120 g or ½ cup, makes the dough rich and short. The high fat percentage matters: more fat and less water means a more tender, crumbly crust. Keep the butter cold and cut it into small cubes before it goes into the food processor, so the fat stays in little pockets and does not melt into the flour, which is what gives you that flaky, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
One egg, both yolk and white, binds the dough and adds structure. Crack it in after the butter and flour have come together into crumbs, then mix just until it holds. The egg is also why I count this as a vegetarian rather than vegan tart.
Coconut sugar, 6 Tbsp, sweetens the filling with a softer, caramel-like note rather than a sharp white-sugar hit. It is less refined and dissolves nicely into the cherry juices as they cook. Add it once the cherries have started releasing their liquid so it melts in evenly.
Corn starch, 4 Tbsp, is the setting agent that turns loose cherry juice into a thick, spoonable filling. Stir it in toward the end and let it cook so the raw starch taste disappears and the mixture visibly thickens and turns glossy.
Rum, 1 Tbsp, is a small but deliberate touch that deepens the cherry flavor and rounds out the sweetness. Most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving warmth and aroma behind. You can leave it out, but it really lifts the filling.
Tips
- Chill the dough, do not skip it. The full hour in the fridge relaxes the gluten and re-firms the butter, so the crust holds its shape and stays tender instead of shrinking or going tough. Wrap the ball in plastic so it does not dry out.
- No rolling pin? No problem. I could not find mine, so I greased the pan with a little oil, wet my hands, and pressed the dough in using the bottom of a glass. There is always a solution if you do not have the right utensils. Wet hands stop the dough sticking to you.
- Cook the filling until it visibly thickens. After you add the corn starch, give it those last 5 minutes without the lid so the juices reduce and the starch sets. You know it is ready when the mixture coats the spoon and no longer looks watery.
- Start the cherries on high with a lid. High heat and a lid coax the juice out fast, then drop to medium once they are swimming in their own liquid so the sugar does not scorch.
- Watch for golden, not pale. Bake at 180C for around 20 minutes and pull the tart when the crust edges turn golden. A pale crust means an underbaked, doughy base.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the sugar. If you do not have coconut sugar, use the same amount of brown sugar or regular white sugar. Coconut sugar adds a caramel depth, but the tart still works with what you have on hand.
- Make it alcohol-free. Leave out the rum entirely, or replace it with a splash of vanilla extract for warmth without the alcohol. Good if you are serving children.
- Use other tart fruit. Since this tart is really about using up fruit before it spoils, you can apply the same method to other tart cherries or a fruit that gives off plenty of juice; just keep the corn starch to set it.
- Thicken with what you have. No corn starch? Tapioca starch or potato starch will set the filling in the same way, used in the same amount.
Storage and Make Ahead
This tart keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, covered, and the filling actually sets even more firmly once chilled, which makes slicing cleaner. Let it cool completely before you cover it so condensation does not soften the crust. You can serve it cold straight from the fridge or let it come to room temperature first. To get ahead, you can make the dough up to a day in advance and keep it wrapped in the fridge until you are ready to press it into the pan, which spreads the work over two short sessions.
If you like simple, fruit-forward bakes like this one, you might enjoy more cherry desserts to make the most of the season. For more in the same spirit, browse my sweet tart recipes, and if you want to use up a basket of berries too, take a look at these vegan strawberry desserts.
I know you are already eager to make this easy sour cherry tart, especially after looking at the pictures. If you decide to give it a go, do not forget to let me know how it went; I am so curious to read your comments and opinions.
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Easy Sour Cherry Tart
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 250 g white flour about 1 ½ cups
- 120 g butter, 82% fat about ½ cup
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp cold water
- For the filling:
- 500 g sour cherries about 2 cups, pitted
- 6 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp rum
- 4 Tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to a food processor together with the flour.
- Pulse until a crumbly dough starts to form.
- Add the egg (both yolk and white) and mix.
- You may need a little cold water, so add it gradually, one tablespoon at a time, until the tart dough reaches the right consistency.
- Take the dough out, form it into a ball, wrap it in plastic foil, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, take out the dough and roll it into a tart pan (I used a 20 cm one). If you can’t find a rolling pin, grease the pan with a little oil, wet your hands, and press the dough directly into the pan using the flat bottom of a glass. There’s always a solution if you don’t have the right utensils, space, or if you’re feeling lazy like me! 🙂
- Place the tart pan in the fridge.
- Add the sour cherries to a pan, cover with a lid, and set the heat to high. The cherries will start to release their juice.
- Add the coconut sugar and rum and lower the heat to medium. After 5 minutes, add the corn starch and mix.
- Cook for 5 more minutes without the lid.
- Spread the sour cherry mixture over the tart dough.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes, or until the dough turns golden.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Sour cherries, also called tart cherries, are firmer and much more acidic than sweet cherries, which is exactly what makes them ideal for baking. Their tartness balances the added sugar so the filling tastes of fruit instead of pure sweetness. Sweet cherries can be used, but the result will be flatter and jammier without that bright contrast.
Corn starch is the simplest way. Cook the sour cherries until they release their juice, then stir in corn starch toward the end and let it cook for about 5 minutes without a lid. The filling is ready when it turns glossy, coats the spoon, and no longer looks watery. Tapioca or potato starch work the same way if you do not have corn starch.
Yes. Grease the tart pan with a little oil, wet your hands so the dough does not stick, and press it directly into the pan using the flat bottom of a glass. This pushes the dough evenly up the sides and across the base. There is always a solution if you do not have the right utensils.
Chilling for an hour relaxes the gluten so the crust does not shrink, and it re-firms the butter so the fat stays in little pockets. That cold fat is what gives you a tender, flaky base instead of a tough one. Wrap the dough in plastic so it does not dry out in the fridge.
It is vegetarian, not vegan, because the shortcrust dough is made with butter and a whole egg. To make a vegan version you would need to replace both the butter and the egg, which would change the texture of the crust.
Cover it once fully cooled and keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The corn starch filling sets even more firmly when chilled, so slices come out cleaner the next day. Serve it cold from the fridge or let it come to room temperature first.
What is the yummy chocolate side-serving next to the tart, please?
That’s homemade chocolate ice cream! It makes this dessert even better. 😀
everybody loved it. will surely make this again soon!