Sourdough Cherry Cobbler
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There’s something magical about warm, bubbling cherry cobbler fresh from the oven—but when you add sourdough to the mix, it becomes even more irresistible! This sourdough cherry cobbler brings together juicy, sweet-tart cherries and a tried and tested sourdough sponge cake, with a crunchy when baked topping.
Whether you’re looking for a unique way to use your sourdough starter or simply craving a cozy, homemade sourdough dessert, this recipe is sure to become a favorite. Just like this sourdough peach cobbler, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for the ultimate treat. Let’s dive into this delightful twist on a classic cobbler!
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
Use Fresh or Frozen Cherries - You can use fresh or frozen cherries (or even a combination of both). I've tested the recipe with both and it works equally as well!
Quick Sourdough Discard Recipe - Using 150g of sourdough discard, this sourdough cherry cobbler is so quick to make and can be enjoyed in under an hour.
Ingredients
- Cherries - I've used fresh pitted cherries for the cobbler you'll see in the photos, but I've also tested the recipe with frozen cherries. Honestly, while I love fresh cherries (especially when my kids pit them for me), frozen cherries make this recipe super easy for weekend desserts!
- Sugar - You'll need brown sugar, white sugar, as well as a little granulated sugar for the topping of this sourdough cherry cobbler.
- All Purpose Flour
- Orange - you'll need the zest and juice of an orange. If you don't have an orange, consider using fresh lemon juice. I love the flavor of the orange with the cherries, but lemon works really well too! You could even try a combination of both.
- Sourdough Starter - I've used active sourdough starter here, but discard is absolutely fine! You can use either without any issues as it's not providing the leavening here (just make sure your discard isn't too sour). You can read about the difference between sourdough starter and sourdough discard here.
- Baking Powder and Salt
- Milk - whole milk is best here, but you can use a non dairy alternative or even buttermilk if you prefer (this is great if you make your own butter and often have a lot of buttermilk to use up).
- Butter - as always I've used salted butter.
How To Make Sourdough Cherry Cobbler
This sourdough cherry cobbler recipe could not be easier to pull together! This recipe works so well because it's based on my sourdough apple cobbler recipe, as well as my sourdough berry cobbler recipe - both of which have been tried and tested more times than I care to admit!
Preheat your oven to 200C (390F).
Prepare the Cherry Filling
Place the cherries into a medium sized baking dish. I've used a 2Q or 1.9L. You can use fresh or frozen cherries. If using fresh cherries, you'll need to pit them first (this is a great job for the kids).
On top of the cherries, add the brown sugar, white sugar, all purpose flour and orange juice and zest.
Use your hands or a spoon to mix all of this through the cherries so that they are well coated. Set this aside while you prepare the topping. I find it so easy to do this in the baking dish - it creates less dishes to wash later! But you can mix the cherries separately if you prefer.
It looks messy - but don't worry, it's the flour that thickens the cherry juice and forms the sauce here.
Sourdough Cobbler Topping
In a small mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, sourdough starter (or discard), salt, sugar, baking powder and milk.
Stir until it forms a light and airy batter.
Spoon or pour the sourdough cobbler topping onto the cherries and spread so it mostly covers them. It's ok to have some of the cherries peaking through.
Sprinkle the batter with granulated sugar and then pour over the melted butter (you might think it's weird to pour the butter over the top, but trust me on this. You can read more about how this came about in my sourdough peach cobbler recipe.
Place the sourdough cherry cobbler into the oven and bake at 200C (390F) for around 35 to 40 minutes. You'll know it's done when the topping is golden brown and you can see the cherry filling bubbling away underneath.
Remove from the oven and allow the sourdough cobbler to sit for around 10 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to thicken before serving.
Flavor Variations
Like most of my sourdough recipes, the original versions are always tasty as they are, but there's always a way to amp up the flavor profile! And this sourdough cherry cobbler is no different! Here are a few flavor variations I recommend:
Almond Cherry Sourdough Cobbler - if you love almonds, consider adding a splash of almond extract to the cobbler batter. You can even scatter some flaked almonds on top. It adds such a lovely depth of flavor and pairs beautifully with the sweet, jammy cherries.
Cherry Coconut Sourdough Cobbler - add 50g of desiccated coconut to the cobbler batter, along with a splash of vanilla extract. Sprinkle another 50g of desiccated coconut on the top of the cobbler batter before pouring the butter over the top.
Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Cobbler - add 150g of your favorite chocolate chips to the batter when mixing it up. Serve the chocolate cherry cobbler with chocolate ice cream for a special treat!
How To Store + Freeze
This is a quick and easy dessert that I recommend making and baking when you need it (unless you're fermenting the topping of course). But it's not a dessert that I recommend baking ahead.
The crunchy topping is just incredible and once it's been stored in the fridge, you'll lose the delicious crispness.
This is not suitable for freezing.
Sourdough Cherry Cobbler
Equipment
- Baking Dish (2Q or 1.9L - measuring 31 x 18.5 x 6 cm or 12 x 7 x 2.5 inches)
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 750 g Cherries
- 40 g Brown Sugar (light or dark can be used)
- 25 g White Sugar
- 30 g All Purpose Flour
- 1 Orange (juice and zest only)
Sourdough Cobbler Topping
- 150 g All Purpose Flour
- 150 g Sourdough Starter (or sourdough discard)
- 5 g Salt
- 50 g White Sugar
- 10 g Baking Powder
- 120 g Milk (any milk is fine, I've used whole milk)
- 75 g Butter (melted - salted or unsalted is fine)
- 25 g Granulated Sugar (for crunchy topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C (390F).
Prepare the Cherry Filling
- Place the cherries into a medium sized baking dish. I've used a 2Q or 1.9L. You can use fresh or frozen cherries. If using fresh cherries, you'll need to pit them first (this is a great job for the kids).
- On top of the cherries, add the brown sugar, white sugar, all purpose flour and orange juice and zest. Use your hands or a spoon to mix all of this through the cherries so that they are well coated. Set this aside while you prepare the topping.I find it so easy to do this in the baking dish - it creates less dishes to wash later! But you can mix the cherries separately if you prefer.
Sourdough Cobbler Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, sourdough starter (or discard), salt, sugar, baking powder and milk. Stir until it forms a light and airy batter.
- Spoon or pour the sourdough cobbler topping onto the cherries and spread so it mostly covers them. It's ok to have some of the cherries peaking through.
- Sprinkle the batter with granulated sugar and then pour over the melted butter.
- Place the sourdough cherry cobbler into the oven and bake at 200C (390F) for around 35 to 40 minutes. You'll know it's done when the topping is golden brown and you can see the cherry filling bubbling away underneath.
- Remove from the oven and allow the sourdough cobbler to sit for around 10 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to thicken before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
