Cherry sauce for desserts

This irresistible cherry sauce is a delicious and versatile topping that can elevate any dessert from ordinary to extraordinary. Made with fresh, seasonal Italian vignola cherries, this delicious cherry sauce is perfect for topping desserts like ice cream, chocolate cake, pancakes, muffins, waffles and cheesecake. You’ll also love swirling it into vegan yoghurt or soft ice!

Whether you use fresh or frozen cherries, making cherry sauce for desserts is quick and easy and very satisfying! In this post, I will be sharing all the tips and tricks on how to make the best cherry sauce for desserts, as well as some ideas on how to use it.

I came up with the idea for this recipe one day when I had guests for dinner but no dessert to offer. It’s quite usual for me to go and do the shopping for an elaborate dinner and then totally forget about dessert.

As you probably know by now, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Apart from being forgetful as far as sweet things go, I’m also lazy when I’m no longer hungry. I do realise, though, that I’m the exception rather than the rule and that most people look forward to dessert after their meal.

That particular evening, hard-pressed for ideas, I had a quick scout around and found some fruit and some chocolate muffins I’d made a couple of days before. Cherries and chocolate go really well together, in my opinion, so I improvised and made this cherry sauce.

The inspiration came from berry sauces I’ve eaten on panna cotta and chocolate cakes in Italy. To serve, I broke the muffins open slightly and then poured hot cherry sauce over them. Needless to say, I saved face, and my guests loved them!

How to make cherry sauce for desserts

ingredients

• Cherries – You can use sweet or tart cherries, depending on your preference and availability. If you use fresh cherries, you will need to pit them first. You can use a cherry pitter or a knife to do this. If you use frozen cherries, you don’t need to thaw them before cooking.
• Sugar – the secret to getting a syrupy, viscous cherry sauce is to use sugar with pectin, also known as gelling sugar or jam (jelly in the US) sugar. At a pinch, you could use granulated sugar or cane sugar instead. However, it will take longer without pectin and your cherry sauce will be more liquefied. The amount of sugar you need will depend on how sweet your cherries are and how sweet you want your sauce to be. Vignola cherries are quite sweet so I used a ratio of 4 : 1. If your cherries are tart, you could use up to 2 : 1. For 500g of cherries, I used 125 g of Aarberg vegan gelling sugar which I buy at the Migros here in Switzerland.
• Lemon juice – A splash of lemon juice adds brilliance to the colour as well as some acidity to balance the sweetness of the sugar.
• Salt (optional) – A pinch of unrefined sea salt enhances the flavour of the cherries and brings out their natural sweetness.

Method

• Put all the ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan and turn the heat on low. Bring the mixture to a boil on the lowest possible heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally.
• Let the mixture simmer like this until the froth disappears from the surface and the sauce thickens. It should be syrupy and have a vibrant tone of red or purple. Don’t let the sauce become too thick because it will thicken some more as it cools. Be careful not to overcook it and caramelise the sugar. A sure sign that this is happening is when the sauce starts to take on a brownish hue.
• Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool slightly before serving or storing.

How to use cherry sauce for desserts

Cherry sauce is a versatile topping that can be used for many different desserts. Here are some ideas on how to use it:

• Spoon it over vegan ice cream, yoghurt, whipped cream, or custard for a simple and satisfying treat.
• Drizzle it over vegan cheesecake, pound cake, angel food cake, brownies, or muffins for a decadent dessert.
• Use it as a filling for pies, tarts, turnovers, crêpes, or pancakes for a fruity delight.
• Swirl it into cake batter, muffin batter, or cheesecake batter before baking for a marbled effect.
• Mix it with vegan cream cheese, mascarpone or quark cheese and spread it over toast, bagels, or croissants for a sweet breakfast or snack.
• Make a breakfast bowl of healthy organic mixed grain flakes and vegan yoghurt, and sweeten it with cherry sauce.

How to store cherry sauce

Cherry sauce is a delicious way to enjoy summer cherries even after the season has been and gone. Fresh, seasonal cherries are usually only available between the months of May and July. Cherry sauce is easy to make and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months. Try making your own cherry sauce today and enjoy it with your favourite desserts!

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