Classic home-made Cherry Almond Lattice Pie is one of my favourite desserts to come out of the States. I’ve added almond three different ways in this pie to add an interesting nuance to this pie. With step by step images, I guide you through the process of making this pie. I also share my favourite sour cream pastry made in a food processor to speed things up plus a shortcut way to achieve that perfect diamond pie lattice.
This cherry pie will wrap its arms around you and give you a big warm hug. Thats what it feels like when eating it anyway. It’s comforting, homely, sweet, juicy and packed full of flavour. With the addition of almond extract in the filling, a nutty layer of almond meal in the base of the pie and some warm, toasty flaked almonds sprinkled after baking, the flavours of this pie are next level. Cherry and almonds are a beautiful flavour pairing and I really wanted to showcase this within the pie. Cherries scream summer and have become an essential part of my summertime baking repertoire. Hopefully this Cherry Almond Lattice Pie will soon be part of your summer time too.
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Pie Dough
I wanted to share with you today this super simple way of making pie crust. I usually use a more traditional shortcrust pastry made by hand (Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Guide found here), but I’m sharing with you how to speed the process up.
First off, the main difference in ingredients is that this pastry doesn’t have egg. Nope. Nada. But if we remove the egg, which essentially binds the pastry, adds moisture and adds richness, we need to replace it with something else. And that ingredient is SOUR CREAM. Yep, you read right. Sour cream. And boy is it a fabulous addition.
Secondly, the way we make the pastry is different. This pastry can be made in under five minutes, I kid you not.
Instead of spending time working the butter into the flour with your fingers and then adding the egg and bringing it together, we do this process in the food processor.
SO HOW DO WE MAKE THIS SOUR CREAM PASTRY?
Step 1. Add the dry ingredients, flour, sugar and salt into the food processor. Give it a quick pulse to mix.
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients, butter and sour cream and pulse for 10-20 seconds until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs and still has some pea sized bits to it. It may look dry but when you squeeze a bit together it clumps and sticks.
Step 3: Tip the pastry onto a floured surface and using your hands bring the dough together. Press gently together and knead only a couple of times if you have to, to form the dough into a disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
That’s it. It literally takes five minutes to actually make it. The most time is spent getting all your ingredients out (which in itself only takes five minutes!) This food processor technique is such a time saver, especially when making a double pie crust as cutting in butter by hand can take a little bit of time.
The Cherry Almond Lattice Pie Filling
Now, a cherry pie isn’t a cherry pie if it doesn’t have a cherry pie filling. Kinda obvious right. Well this one is special. I use fresh cherries and add depth of flavour in the vanilla and almond extract, sugar and salt and lemon juice and zest. All of this adds layers and depth of flavour to an already delicious pie filling.
I know pitting cherries can feel like a long exercise, especially 4 cups worth, but put on some good tunes in the background, and enjoy the process. Top tip, wear an apron... and be prepared for your work bench to look like a crime scene for a little while! That juice always seems to get everywhere!
I used fresh sweet cherries that were super sweet and only needed a little sugar. But if yours aren’t that sweet or if using sour cherries then you may need to up the quantity of sugar.
Now let’s get into that lattice pie crust
It looks amazing right! Like I’ve spent hours measuring and cutting out these tiny diamonds. Well, from looking at my images, you guessed it ... I didn’t make it by hand.
I found this amazing Lattice Crust Cutter on Amazon. I was a little sceptical about it actually working! You know what I mean. So often these hacks look great on paper but never actually turn out well. But this hack did work. And beautifully. I was so impressed with it.
Top tip though. Once you have placed your pastry onto the cutter and rolled it flat, freeze the cutter for 20 minutes. When it comes time to turning the cutter over onto your filled pie, the dough will pop right out. I think if you don’t freeze it the dough would be too warm and stick to the lattice cutter.
So the secret is out. You too can have the most perfect looking top to your Cherry Almond Lattice Pie.
What to Serve with your Cherry Almond Lattice Tart?
Now that you’ve baked your pie, my favourite way of serving it is still warm and with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream and some flaked toasted almonds. It really is the perfect summer pie that you can’t go past!
For more summertime desserts be sure to check out:
Rhubarb Scrolls with Crème Fraîche Glaze
Cherry Almond Lattice Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Sour cream pastry
- 375 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 15 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 230 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 120 g sour cream
Cherry pie filling
- 650 g fresh cherries, halved and pitted
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 25 g cornflour (corn starch)
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 25 g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 30 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- 30 g sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar (turbinado sugar), optional
Instructions
For the sour cream pastry:
- Add the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse quickly to mix. Add the butter and sour cream and pulse for 10 to 20 seconds until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs with some pea size chunks.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and bring the pastry together with your hands. Knead a couple of times until it comes together. Shape into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
For the cherry filling:
- Meanwhile place the cherries, sugar, cornflour, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and almond extract and salt into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. This takes 5 minutes. Keep an eagle eye on the mixture as the sauce thickens quickly and you don’t want it to become too thick. Remove from the stovetop and allow to cool to room temperature.
To assemble
- Remove your pie dough disc from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Set one half aside. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Place the dough gently into a 23cm (9-inch) deep pie pan; the edges should overhang a little over the side of a pie pan. Refrigerate the pie pan until ready to fill.
- Roll the second pie dough disc on a lightly floured surface to 10 inches in diameter. If using my recommended lattice cutter, then following the manufacturer’s instructions, place the dough disc over the cutter. Use your rolling pin to press the dough firmly onto the cutter. Place cutter and dough into the freezer for 20 minutes. Once very cold, gently separate the lattice cutter into two. (Please refer to my images above)
- If you do not have a lattice cutter then prepare the pasty top as you normally would.
- Remove the pie pan from the fridge and sprinkle the ground almonds onto the bottom of the pie. Then pour the cherry filling into the pie dough. Distribute the cubed butter over the filling. Turn out the dough from the lattice cutter and place it over the pie filling. Trim the edges of the dough and tuck in any excess around the edges, and crimp to seal. Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes (or freeze for 15 minutes) whilst pre-heating the oven to 220C / 425F
- Beat together egg and 1 tablespoon milk for the egg wash. Gently brush the lattice and pie edges and then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20 minutes before reducing the oven temperature to 190C / 375F and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling, about 40-50 minutes. Suppose the pie's edges become too golden, then tent with foil after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.
- If you’d like a pie to hold its shape once cut, then allow pie to cool completely and refrigerate. In my opinion, it’s best served warm with a dollop of ice-cream.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
Anna
I'm literally drooling over this stunning pie over here Emma! Cherries are like an essence of summer to me, my favourite stone fruit, so this pie has my name written all over it! And how genius to use sour cream for pastry, I can't wait to try this method!
Veronique
This pie is amazing, sooo yum! It's sweet and has a little sour ess from the lemon...just the perfect balance! And the crust is so goodi 'm planning on using this one for all my future pies! And mast but not least: the instrument used for the lattice is awsome, it really relly works! 👌🏼
Emma
Hi Veronique- what an awesome review- thank you so much - that's incredible. Here's to may more happy pie baking days!