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Make an Easy Cherry Cobbler recipe with tart cherries all year long – this is a simple recipe with homemade cherry pie filling and cake mix. If you love cherries you’re going to love this easy dessert because you can make it whenever you want!

This recipe is sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are my own.

Tart Cherry Cobbler

While cherries are typically in season in the summer, what I love about using U.S.-grown Montmorency tart cherries is that they’re harvested in the summer but are available all year round in multiple forms, like canned or frozen. Cherry recipes all year long? Yes please and thank you!

We absolutely love this recipe because it’s so easy to make – just a few ingredients and one of them is cake mix. If you like dump cakes this is a similar recipe but we’re skipping the melted butter on top and using lemon-lime soda. It makes for a cake-like soft topping on homemade tart cherry pie filling.

ingredients in tart cherry cobbler laid out on a white marble counter.

Ingredients & Variations

Tart Cherries: Montmorency tart cherries are the preferred cherry for baking because the ruby-red color pops. They’re available all year as frozen cherries or canned.
Tart Cherry Juice: I used the juice that comes in the can of tart cherries. If you’re using frozen thawed cherries, you’ll want to use water or tart cherry juice.
Cornstarch and Sugar: To complete the pie filling you’ll need sugar to increase the sweetness of the pie filling, plus cornstarch to thicken it.
Cake Mix: Use your favorite brand. Yellow or white cake mix are the best to use.
Lemon Lime Soda: We’re using this instead of unsalted butter to magically create the cobbler topping.

Why use Montmorency Cherries

Montmorency cherries are American-grown fruit, grown locally in seven cherry-producing states, including Utah.
They’re always fresh: they’re picked at the peak of ripeness in summer and quickly dried, frozen, canned, or bottled. You won’t find tart fresh cherries in the produce aisle – using frozen or canned makes it so much easier – you don’t have to remove the pits!
They’re ruby-red and pack a punch of bright, tangy and intense flavor in a sweet-tart note – you’ll want to keep going back for one more bite.
While I’m not a doctor, but research suggests Montmorency tart cherries may help aid exercise recovery, heart health, sleep, arthritis, and gout. Personally, we use tart cherry juice for gout treatment and it does work for us!
Visit choosecherries.com for recipes and nutrition research.

process shot of tart cherry cobbler being made.

How to make Tart Cherry Cobbler

Mix tart cherry juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken.
Stir in tart cherries and pour cherry filling into a 9×9-inch baking dish. For a thinner cobbler, you can use a 9×13-inch pan.
Sprinkle cake mix on top.
Pour lemon lime soda evenly over the top of the dry mix. Fluff lightly with a fork – you don’t want to completely mix into a batter, but you want all the powder to be slightly moistened so the cake mix all cooks into the cobbler.

overhead shot of a tart cherry cobbler in a clear 9x13 pan with a silver spoon.

Expert Tips

Make sure that all the cake mix mixture is moistened with the soda. Allow the soda fizz to dissipate and stir gently.
The cobbler is done when the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. It will set as it cools.

Storage & Serving

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.
This is best served fresh, warm or room temperature.
Serve plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Easy Tart Cherry Cobbler Recipe

5 from 1 vote

A semi-homemade cobbler with cake mix and Montmorency tart cherries – this easy cobbler is perfect all year long.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Yield 12 servings

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

▢ 2 (14.25oz) cans Tart Cherries with juice
▢ ½ cup (237ml) tart cherry juice
▢ 1 ⅓ cups (267g) granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup (32g) cornstarch
▢ 1 (14-16 ounce) package yellow cake mix
▢ 12 ounces lemon lime soda

Instructions

Drain cherries and reserve ½ cup juice. Discard any remaining juice.
Add juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat whisk until smooth. Continue stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat.
Stir cherries into the thickened mixture.
Pour cherry mixture into a 9×9-inch baking pan. Cool while oven preheats.
While cherries are cooling, preheat oven to 350°F.
Once the oven is preheated, sprinkle dry cake mix over cherries, then slowly pour lemon lime soda evenly over the top. Use a fork to lightly mix the soda and dry mix – you don’t want it all mixed but you want the dry mix moistened so it dissolves during baking.
Bake for approximately 25-35 minutes or until light golden brown on top.
Serve plain or with ice cream.

Recipe Notes

If you’re using frozen cherries, thaw them before making filling. You can substitute water for the juice or use tart cherry juice (found in the drink aisle).
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best served fresh.
Cherry filling will thicken as it cools.
For a thinner topping, use a 9×13-inch baking dish. Baking time will be less.
For extra flavor you can add a teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract to the thickened mixture after removing it from the heat.