A warm fruit dessert can round out a simple meal without much time at the counter. In this cherry cobbler, soft fruit sits beneath a tender, buttery topping that turns golden in the oven. The edges are lightly crisp when the cobbler is served warm.

The preparation is brief, but the dish still needs time in the oven and a rest before serving. If you’re making it for dinner, start it early enough that it can sit while the table is cleared.

What Makes This Cobbler Easy?

This is a cake-style cobbler. Some cobblers are topped with pieces of biscuit dough, but this one uses a batter thin enough to pour. There’s no dough to roll or cut, and the batter takes on some of the fruit juices as it bakes, keeping the layer next to the cherries moist.

Cherry pie filling provides the fruit layer without requiring fresh cherries to be washed, pitted, or cooked beforehand. Choose canned pie filling rather than plain canned cherries. The thick sauce in the filling goes into the dish with the fruit, so there’s nothing to drain.

Ingredients

Packing flour into a measuring cup can add more than the recipe calls for. Loosen the flour first, spoon it into the measuring cup, and sweep off the excess to level the top. Gather the following ingredients before you start:

- ½ cup butter

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup white sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 cup milk

- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

This recipe makes 12 servings.

Steps

Set a heatproof surface beside the oven for the hot baking dish. You can mix the batter while the butter melts, but have the pie filling open and ready before you take the dish out. The lower oven setting is for melting the butter; raise it only after the cobbler is assembled:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C).

2. Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish in the oven.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

4. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth.

5. Using oven mitts, remove the dish as soon as the butter melts.

6. Pour the batter over the butter without stirring.

7. Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the batter without stirring.

8. Raise the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).

9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the fruit bubbles and the top is golden.

Helpful Baking Tips

Spoon the cherries across the dish rather than dropping the filling in the middle and trying to spread it afterward. This distributes the fruit without dragging it through the batter. The surface may look uneven when the dish goes into the oven, but it doesn’t need to be smoothed out.

Ovens vary, so start checking at the early end of the baking window. The filling will be easiest to see bubbling around the sides of the dish. If the edges are browned but the batter at the center still looks wet, leave the cobbler in a little longer.

How to Serve Cherry Cobbler

Let the cobbler rest in the baking dish before serving. The juices thicken as they cool, so the filling is easier to portion after a short wait. Use a large serving spoon to reach the fruit beneath the topping, then spoon any juices left in the dish over each portion.

Serve it plain or add a spoonful of whipped cream at the table. A scoop of ice cream also works if you want a cold topping against the warm filling. Add either just before serving so it doesn’t melt while the cobbler rests.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. If you want to serve them warm again, reheat just what you need in an oven-safe dish.