Sweet Cherry Slab Pie Recipe

Name: Sweet Cherry Slab Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: Doubled batch of [basic pie dough] (enough for a 9-inch double pie crust); 2 red plums (halved and pitted); 6 cups about 2 pounds pitted sweet cherries or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries, halved; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/8 teaspoon table salt; 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon; 2 teaspoons bourbon; 2 tablespoons instant tapioca (ground); 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 large egg (lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water); 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice or milk; 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted)

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Say goodbye to boring desserts once you taste this Sweet Cherry Slap Pie Recipe. Independence Day, hot summer barbecues, and pool parties are just a few of the excuses I have to make this cherry pie. It’s perfectly sweet, full of plump cherries, and heavenly.

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Sweet Cherry Slab Pie Recipe

Nothing is better than a freshly baked pie for a summer cookout, especially if it can be made into a perfectly portable dessert like this incredible slab pie. I have had my eye on making a slab pie ever since I stumbled upon it over at Smitten Kitchen a few years ago. So when Andrew and I were invited to another 4th of July cookout last weekend, I knew exactly what I was going to bring. It was a huge hit! 🙂 Everyone loved that you didn’t need to fumble with plates or forks to eat this pie.

I used my favorite cherry pie filling recipe from Cook’s illustrated. It uses an unusual ingredient in the filling…plums! The plums are used to tame the cherries’ sweetness and get them to break down into a wonderful juicy texture, as well as letting us cut back on the amount of sugar that was needed in the filling.

If you are looking for that perfect portable dessert to bring to your next summer, get together, look no further! This recipe is certain to be a hit! 🙂

Raise your hand if you grew up with your grandparents making cherry pie! I know I did, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing for my family. You can make so many memories together in the kitchen, and this cherry slap pie is unforgettable.

How do You Pit Cherries?

Getting the pits out of cherries can be…well, the PITS sometimes. Once you try one of these methods, you will be forever thankful, and it will save you time when it comes to pitting cherries. By far, the easiest way is to purchase a cherry pitter. If you make very many recipes with fresh cherries, then it’s worth owning one. If you only make something with cherries once a year, you may not want to spend the money.

A more frugal method is to take the tip of a cake decorating bag. Shove it through one end and out the other, and it will grab the pit on the way out. Make sure to use the small end of the tip, like where the frosting would come out.

Another thing I have had luck with is by using a chopstick. If you happen to have chopsticks or a wooden skewer, then shove it through the center of the cherry from the top side. The pit should pop out the bottom. This had worked well for me in the past before I bought a cherry pitter.

Can I Make This Slab Pie with Canned Cherry Pie Filling?

Yes, if you want to use cherry pie filling, that is more than fine. Simply omit the sugar in the recipe. If you use pie filling and sugar, you will have an overly sweet dessert. I should tell you that I prefer the flavor of fresh cherries because they are so sweet and delicious. Cherry pie filling is an excellent substitute if you don’t have the time to use fresh.

Does This Pie Need the Glaze?

It’s not that this cherry pie needs to have glaze, it’s more about the fact that it adds some extra flavor and sweetness to it. If you don’t like glaze or are just wanting to skip it, that’s not a problem at all.

Ingredients

There are so many fantastic ingredients int his cherry slap pie, such as the fresh cherries, red plums, and a little bit of bourbon! How fun is that? Let’s get started:

For the Slab Pie:

Doubled batch of basic pie dough (enough for a 9-inch double pie crust)
Red plums halved and pitted
Pitted sweet cherries or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries, halved
White sugar
Table salt
Juice from 1 lemon
Bourbon
Instant tapioca, ground
Ground cinnamon
Large egg

For the Glaze:

Lemon juice or milk
Confectioners’ sugar, sifted

How to Make Cherry Slab Pie Recipe

First Step: Use a basic pie crust recipe or store-bought.

Second Step: Heat up the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Third Step: Using a food processor that’s fitted with a metal blade, process the plums and 1 cup of the cherries in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Add as needed be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. You’ll need to strain the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir remaining halved cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, bourbon, tapioca, and cinnamon into the puree. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.

Fourth Step: Roll out one batch of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle.

Fifth Step: Transfer the rectangle to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Be sure to allow the dough to hang over the edges of the pan). Transfer the cherry mixture to the dough-lined baking sheet and set aside.

Sixth Step: Place the remaining piece of dough and roll it into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Place on top of the cherry filling. Fold overhang under, tucking it into the edge of the pan and crimp edges. Cut slits on top to vent using a knife—brush top and edges of the slab pie with egg mixture.

Seventh Step: Bake the cherry slab pie until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, for about one hour.

Eighth Step: While the cherry pie is cooling, prepare the lemon glaze. First, combine lemon juice (or milk) and confectioners’ sugar together. Mix until you achieve a thick, opaque icing. Drizzle over slab pie. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

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Sweet Cherry Slab Pie

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 1 25

Say goodbye to boring desserts once you taste this Sweet Cherry Slap Pie Recipe. Independence Day, hot summer barbecues, and pool parties are just a few of the excuses I have to make this cherry pie. It's perfectly sweet, full of plump cherries and heavenly.

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Ingredients

Doubled batch of [basic pie dough], enough for a 9-inch double pie crust
2 red plums, halved and pitted
6 cups about 2 pounds pitted sweet cherries or 6 cups pitted frozen cherries, halved
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons bourbon
2 tablespoons instant tapioca, ground
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice or milk
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

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Instructions

Follow directions to make a doubled batch of basic pie dough.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line the bottom of a 15×10 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the plums and 1 cup halved cherries in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Strain puree through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir remaining halved cherries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, bourbon, tapioca, and cinnamon into puree; let stand for 15 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out one batch of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle.
Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, allowing the dough to hang over sides of pan). Transfer the cherry mixture to the dough-lined baking sheet; set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Lay over cherry filling. Fold overhang under, tucking it into pan, and crimp edges. With a paring knife, cut slits on top to vent. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture.
Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about one hour.
While the slab pie is cooling, make lemon glaze. Combine lemon juice (or milk) and confectioners’ sugar until you achieve a thick, opaque icing. Drizzle over slab pie. Serve warm or at room temperature.