Easy Cherry Strudel with Filo Pastry

February is considered National Cherry Month in the U.S., even though it is certainly not exactly cherry harvest season!  The reason is that cherries are the fruit most associated with the legacy of George Washington, whose birthday is celebrated this month.  That’s why, starting this month, we see cherries in every market!

With that in mind, I wanted to create an easy cherry recipe; a no-fuss simple dessert with few ingredients which would work well at any time of the year, using either fresh or frozen cherries.  This Easy Cherry Strudel with Filo Pastry is exactly that:  a delicious fruit dessert which anyone can make and enjoy in under an hour!

With Valentine’s Day coming up, this beautiful dessert is something worth trying!  It might look complicated, but it is really simple to assemble and you can even make it ahead of time.  It is a great choice for a not-too-sweet dessert which can also double up as a treat to enjoy with your coffee or tea.

Ingredients for the Easy Cherry Strudel with Filo Pastry

For this delicious recipe, we will need a box of good quality, thin filo pastry, cherries (fresh or frozen) and a couple of basic baking ingredients.  Here is the list of ingredients that we need to make this recipe:

• Filo pastry:  about half a package of good quality, thin filo (I used Fillo Factory #4)
• Butter:  melted, to brush on the sheets of filo
• Almond flour:  or finely ground almonds, to help absorb the cherry juices in the strudel, while adding a nutty flavor to the dish
• Breadcrumbs:  plain, unseasoned bread crumbs (or, panko breadcrumbs)
• Sugar:  regular granulated sugar (or, vanilla sugar), and, some confectioner’s sugar for dusting, if desired
• Lemon:  fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to balance the sweetness of the cherries and to add freshness
• Cherries:  fresh (or frozen) pitted, dark sweet cherries
• Corn starch:  to help thicken the cherry sauce
• Vanilla:  pure vanilla extract – it pairs so well with sweet cherries

How to make the Easy Cherry Strudel with Filo Pastry

• Cook the cherries gently, with some sugar, lemon juice and vanilla to make the filling

• Prepare the breadcrumb mixture by stirring together the breadcrumbs with lemon zest and sugar to sprinkle later on the filo pastry sheets.  Melt the butter and allow it to cool.

• Brush some butter on the stack of sheets of filo.  Spread almond flour along one long side of the filo and top it with the cherries and their juices.

• Start forming the strudel roll by folding the long sides of the filo stack over the filling first, to enclose the filling, and then…

• Create the filo strudel by tightly rolling up the short side of the buttered filo all the way to the end.

• Score the top with a sharp knife and Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown

• Dust lightly with powdered sugar (optional)

• Cool the strudel before slicing

• Slice the strudel into 8 pieces, cutting along the score lines

• To serve, place the slices on a serving plate and share with some extra cherry sauce on the side!

Why this recipe for cherry strudel works:

1. Using filo pastry gives the strudel a light and delicate texture
2. A pro tip which helps achieve those “airy” and flaky filo layers, which do not stick with each other, is to sprinkle some breadcrumbs on every second sheet of filo after they have been brushed with butter. In this case, I tossed the breadcrumbs with lemon zest and a little sugar for added flavor
3. For this recipe, I used 8 sheets of a thin (#4) Filo pastry.  If all you can find is a medium thickness (#7) Filo pastry, use only 6 sheets

How to make the strudel ahead:

You can make this delicious cherry filo strudel in advance:  once you bake it, let it cool and store it at room temperature for up to three days.  Serve at room temperature, or, slightly warm, by placing it in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed throughout. Do not microwave to reheat as it will make the filo mushy.

How to serve it:

This recipe makes one strudel, a total of 8 pieces.  You can easily double it to serve more people. It is great on its own not only as a not-too-sweet dessert, but also as an accompaniment to a coffee break.  I like to serve it simply with a drizzle of the delicious cherry sauce on the side, but you can also serve it with s0me good vanilla ice cream, if you prefer!

This new recipe is this month’s collaboration with my favorite brand, Fillo Factory. You can find their filo dough at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods and smaller local stores. I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to have a couple of boxes in the freezer!

Easy Cherry Strudel with Filo Pastry

 

Save Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

A delicious and very simple fruit dessert that everybody can make in under an hour, throughout the year!

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Fruit dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• For the filo pastry:
• 8 oz. (1/2 package) of thin Filo pastry (I used Fillo Factory #4), thawed
• 5 TBSP. butter, melted
• 4 TBSP. finely ground almonds (or, almond flour)
• 2 TBSP. plain, unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1 TBSP. granulated sugar (or, vanilla sugar)
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• For the cherry filling:
• 1 lb. frozen, pitted, dark, sweet cherries, thawed, with juices reserved (or, 1½ lbs. fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted)
• 2 TBSP. corn starch
• 2 TBSP. reserved cherry juice from the defrosted cherries (or, if using fresh cherries, use 2 TBSP. of water)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• -- pinch of salt
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Topping:
• --- powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the filo dough. Remove the thawed filo package from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature on your counter.
2. Make the filling. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with 2 TBSP. of the reserved cherry juice to make a slurry and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, gently stir together the cherries, the ½ cup of sugar, a pinch of salt and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 6 minutes, or, until the cherries start to release their juices. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for another minute or so until the entire mixture comes to a boil. Allow the filling to boil for a minute while stirring gently. Remove from heat when it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Off heat, add the vanilla extract and set the filling mixture aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven. Turn on the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a small, microwavable bowl. Allow it cool slightly.
5. Layer the filo pastry. Remove 8 sheets of filo from the package and return the rest back to the refrigerator. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, 1 TBSP. of granulated sugar and lemon zest. Keeping the stack of filo sheets covered so they don't dry out, place one filo sheet on a clean work surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Top with a second filo sheet, brush it with some more butter and sprinkle this sheet with a third of the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with a third sheet of filo and then a fourth one. Sprinkle another third of the breadcrumb mixture over the fourth sheet of filo. Then, continue with a 5th and a 6th sheet of filo, buttering each one as you go, and sprinkling the last third of the breadcrumbs over the sixth sheet of filo. Finally, add the last two buttered sheets of filo, to create a total of 8 layers of filo.
6. Add the cherry filling. Spread the almond flour along one long side of the filo, about one inch in from edge and the sides of the filo stack. Spoon most of the cherry filling over the almond flour, reserving a few of the cherries and about 2 TBSP. of the cherry sauce.
7. Form the strudel. Fold the short ends (as seen in the photo above) to form a 15"-long log. Brush some melted butter along those ends. Starting at the long-filled side, tightly roll up the filo. Place the filo strudel seam-side down on a baking sheet and brush with some melted butter. Using a sharp, serrated knife, score the top of the strudel through the filo, making eight, evenly spaced cuts. Be careful not to cut all the way through the filo dough.
8. Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the strudel until golden brown; about 25-30 minutes.
9. Cool and slice. Allow the strudel cool slightly. Dust with some powdered sugar (optional) and, using a serrated knife, cut it at the score marks into eight pieces.
10. Serve. Serve the strudel with some of the reserved cherries and cherry juice on the side.

Notes

-- The cherry filling can be made 3-4 days ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until you need it.
-- This filling is excellent in other desserts as well, such as spooned over vanilla ice cream, a slice of buttery pound cake, or, over good Greek full-fat yoghurt, so you might want to make more just to have on hand!
-- The recipe calls for 1 lb. of frozen and pitted sweet cherries. If you are using fresh cherries, use a slightly bigger quantity, because you will still need to pit them before using. Depending on the variety, you might also need to cook them for a few minutes more to soften.

3.5.3240

THANK YOU FOR READING AND FOLLOWING ALONG!