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National Cherry Dessert Day

Food · May 26

A food day for desserts built around cherries, from pies and cobblers to clafoutis, cherry crisps and a simple bowl of fruit over ice cream.

National Cherry Dessert Day falls on Wednesday, May 26, 2027. That is 211 days away.

Cherry desserts cover a lot of ground. There is the lattice-topped pie, the cobbler with biscuit dough spooned over bubbling fruit, the crisp with its oat crumble, and the black forest cake layered with cream and chocolate. All of them start with the same small stone fruit.

Cherries come in two broad kinds. Sweet cherries, such as Bing, are the ones people eat out of hand. Sour cherries, sometimes called tart cherries, are softer and sharper, and bakers tend to prefer them because they hold their flavor once sugar and heat get involved. Many cherry pies are made with sour cherries for exactly that reason.

The work is mostly in the pitting. A cherry pitter makes it quick, but a sturdy straw or a chopstick pushed through the stem end also does the job, and your fingers will turn red either way. Frozen and jarred cherries are already pitted, which is why plenty of home bakers keep a bag in the freezer.

Not every cherry dessert needs an oven. Warm cherries cooked down with a little sugar make a quick sauce for ice cream or yogurt. The French clafoutis is close to effortless too: whole cherries in a custard batter, baked until puffed, traditionally with the pits left in for a faint almond note.

A slice of cherry pie still warm enough to run a little on the plate is the classic version, and it holds up well.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a cherry cobbler or crisp using frozen pitted cherries.
• Spoon warm cherry sauce over vanilla ice cream.
• Try making a clafoutis for the first time.
• Share a slice of cherry pie with a neighbor.

Dates

All national days on May 26

Also on May 26

• National Blueberry Cheesecake Day
• National Paper Airplane Day
• Sally Ride Day

Categories: Food days