Kentish Cherry Pie
A traditional double-crust pie filled with sweet, juicy Kentish black cherries and encased in crisp, buttery shortcrust pastry.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 465 kcal
Equipment
- •23cm pie dish
- •rolling pin
- •mixing bowl
- •pastry brush
- •baking tray
- •cherry pitter
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 465 kcal
- fat
- 21 g
- carbs
- 64 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 465 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Rub the chilled cubed butter into the plain flour and icing sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 2
Stir in the cold water gradually until the dough gathers into a firm, smooth ball.
- 3
Divide the dough into two discs, wrap in greaseproof paper, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 4
Preheat your fan oven to 180°C and place a heavy baking tray inside to heat up.
- 5
Toss the halved pitted cherries with caster sugar, cornflour, lemon juice, and almond extract in a large bowl.
- 6
Roll out one pastry disc on a lightly floured surface and gently line the base of a 23cm pie dish.
- 7
Tip the cherry filling into the lined pie dish, mounding the fruit slightly towards the centre.
- 8
Roll out the remaining pastry disc and drape it over the top of the cherry filling.
- 9
Trim the pastry edges, then crimp (pinch and press together with your fingers) to seal the crust.
- 10
Cut two small slits into the top crust to let steam escape during baking.
- 11
Brush the pastry with beaten egg, sprinkle with demerara sugar, and place the dish onto the hot baking tray.
- 12
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbles gently through the slits.
Chef's tips
Chilling the pastry thoroughly prevents shrinkage while baking. Placing the pie directly on a preheated baking tray ensures a crisp base and avoids a soggy bottom. Allow the pie to cool slightly before slicing so the cherry juices thicken properly.
Ingredient substitutions
- fresh sweet black cherries → frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained
- unsalted butter → block vegetable shortening or baking margarine
- caster sugar → golden caster sugar
Storage
Keep leftover pie covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat slices on a baking tray in a fan oven at 160°C for 10 to 12 minutes until warmed through and crisp.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the cornflour, which causes the fruit juices to run and makes the bottom crust soggy.
- •Overworking the pastry dough, resulting in a tough and dense crust rather than a flaky one.
- •Omitting the steam slits, which can cause the top crust to bubble unevenly and burst at the seams.
Serving suggestions
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