This cherry apple dessert is a pie, but it has so many similarities to cake and cobbler! It's easy to make and has a soft and fluffy topping that is beyond delicious. And the beauty of this recipe is it can be made with a variety of different fruits!
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✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
Why This Is The BEST Cherry Apple Cake Recipe Out There:
Inspired by Ina Garten's Cranberry Apple Cake, this version is made chopped apples, tart cherries, and cinnamon.
How Long It Takes:
10 minutes to prep and 1 hour to bake
Equipment You'll Need:
a pie dish
If you like pie, you're going to love this dessert recipe. If you like cake, you're also going to love this recipe. And if you like a good fruit cobbler, you're going to love this recipe. It's also very similar to a cherry dump cake. This cherry apple cake is made in a pie dish and it's so easy to make! All you need to do is combine apples and cherries with some sugar and spices and then put them in a pie dish. From there, you'll top the fruit with a moist and delicious cake batter that is both fluffy and flakey. It's the perfect pie, cobbler, and cake combination all in one recipe!
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. You can use a variety of different fruits such as cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, or peaches. This is the best dessert recipe because you can make it anytime...regardless of the time of year! Just use whatever fruit is in season. In this version, I'm using cherries, apples, and a hint of orange.
2. With just enough tart and sweetness, this cherry apple cake is a crowd pleaser and is amazing topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
3. This is a no hassle recipe that is perfect for anytime of the year, especially during the holidays!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
You can use either fresh or frozen cherries. I tend to use frozen because they are already pitted and available in the freezer section all year long. The best apples for pie are either Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. They are both crisp, tart, and juicy which taste amazing in this cherry apple cake. I also add fresh squeezed orange juice and zest to add a bit of citrus to help cut some of the sweet.
Sour cream is the key ingredient to ensure the pie crust is fluffy and moist when paired with the flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. Since this recipe calls for salt, use unsalted butter to help balance the saltiness. Right before you bake this apple cherry dessert, sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon and sugar. Not only does this taste amazing with each bite, but it helps the crust turn a beautiful golden brown color.
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Start by preheating the oven to 325°F. Remove the core of the apple and dice into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze the juice from an orange and remove a tablespoon of orange zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the cherries, diced apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Using a large spoon, mix together the ingredients until combined and then set aside.
Now it's time to make the crust. Using the bowl of a standing electric mixer, put on the paddle attachment and beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Expert Tip: If you don't have a standing mixer, you can use an electric mixer.
After 2 minutes, switch the mixer to medium speed and add the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix for 1 minute.
After 1 minutes, turn your mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour and salt. Mix for an additional 1 minute until well combined. Set aside.
Next, evenly pour the fruit mixture into a 10-inch glass pie dish.
From there, pour the pie crust batter over the fruit, ensuring the fruit mixture is completely covered.
Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. Bake for 1 hour. When done, remove the cherry apple cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy! It's also amazing topped with vanilla ice cream.
This apple and cherry cake is homemade comfort food at its finest! Full of cherry, apple, orange, and cinnamon flavor, this will quickly become one of your favorite family favorite recipes!
🙋🏼 Frequently Asked Questions
The best apple pie apples are the crispy ones so you can't go wrong using Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Jazz apples. Stay away from softer apples such as Mcintosh and Red Delicious. Those don't bake well.
No, there is no need to peel the apples before baking unless you want to. A lot of nutrients are in the apple peelings so I leave them on. Plus, when the apples bake they become soft and you can't tell if the apples have been peeled or not.
Yes. Just substitute a gluten free all purpose flour. The ratio will stay the same as a regular all purpose flour.
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
💭 Expert Tips
- Ensure you scrape all the batter from the bowl as your place it on top of the cherry and apple pie filling and make sure it is spread evenly. The more even and the thicker the crust, the less likely the juices from the pie filling will seep through as it bakes. If this happens, it's ok. It still tastes amazing...it's just not as pretty.
- If using cranberries instead of cherries, there is no need to cook them before mixing with the apple and other pie filling ingredients. They will cook perfectly during the baking process.
- Ensure the crust is completely done before removing it from the oven. To ensure it is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the crust and if it comes out clean, it's done.
- I love serving this decadent coffee pudding with this cherry apple cake! The flavor combination is absolutely delicious!
🥧 More Pie and Cake Recipes You'll Enjoy
I love a good dessert but when it comes to sweets, I'm a pie and cake fan. One of my absolute favorite pie recipes is this Frozen Caramel Drizzle Pecan Pie. This is a "no-bake" frozen pecan pie recipe that literally takes 10 minutes to prepare. It starts with the layering of cream cheese and a caramel drizzle and is then topped with roasted coconut and pecan chips. It's delectable!
And of course, apple pie is a classic! I specifically love this recipe because it's made with a crisp, buttery, and flaky crust that covers a lightly spiced apple pie filling. Bubbly and delicious, this is the best homemade apple pie you're guaranteed to love. And this Apple Cinnamon Cake is also a great choice. It's topped with a butter spiced rum that is unforgettable and perfect for the holiday season.
Cherry Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pitted cherries, frozen or fresh
- 1 apple, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Peeled, cored, and diced.
- ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Combine the cherries, diced apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Using a large spoon, mix the ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, put on the paddle attachment and then beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.Expert Tip: You can also use a handheld electric mixer if you don't have a standing mixer.
- After 2 minutes, switch the mixer to a medium speed and then add 1 cup of granulated sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix until combined.
- After 1 minutes, turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour and salt.
- Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie dish.
- Pour the crust batter over the fruit ensuring it is covered completely.
- Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it on top of the batter.
- Bake for 1 hour until the crust is completely done.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
- Ensure you scrape all the batter from the bowl as your place it on top of the cherry and apple pie filling. Ensure it is spread evenly. The more even and the thicker the crust, the less likely the juice from the fruit will seep through as it baked. If this happens, it's fine. It still tastes amazing. It's just not as pretty.
- If using cranberries instead of cherries, there is no need to cook them before mixing with the apple and other pie filling. They will cook perfectly during the baking process.
- Ensure the crust is completely done before removing it from the oven. To ensure it is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the crust and if it comes out clean, it's done.
- The best apple pie apples are the crispy ones so you can't go wrong using Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Jazz apples. Stay away from softer apples such as Mcintosh and Red Delicious. Those don't bake well.
- There is no need to peel the apples before baking. They get incredibly soft during the baking process.
- You can substitute gluten free flour to make a gluten free version of this cherry apple cake. The ratios will be the same.
- Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
Martha Lawrence
Do you put the cherries in frozen? If you use cranberries is it OK to use fresh cranberries? Is there anyway to substitute frozen cherries for canned cherries?
Amanda Mason
Yes - use frozen strawberries. yes - fresh cranberries are AMAZING in this recipe! And yes - you can use canned cherries. Let me know what you end up using!
Andrea Howe
This is a great idea for a twist on a 2 classic desserts and just in time for Thanksgiving! Thanks, I needed some new ideas for our small celebration this year
Amanda Mason
Nice! I'm so glad you found something that works so well for the holidays!!!
Ben Myhre
The best Indian dish I ever had was from a stand at an outdoor market in London. mmm... still think about that. It was the same day that a cheesemonger gave me my first real lessons on cheese. What a great day!
Amanda Mason
I fell in love with the food in London and oh my goodness TAPAS!! Also steepers....love steepers. I'm planning to post that one soon!!