This combination of apricots and tart Evans cherries is summer in a baking dish. Finish it with a crisp, buttery oat topping for an exceptional dessert—or a decadent breakfast. Skip to recipe.
The Evans cherries are almost ripe.
These trees are loaded, and I’ve been sneaking a few of the reddest fruit. Some people pick Evans cherries when they’re only medium red, but I prefer to wait until they reach a deep, dark red—ideally after a light frost if possible. They remain tart and mouth-puckering, but a longer hang time deepens the flavour. This season they’re a little early; in many areas they typically ripen from late August into early September. If you can wait, you’ll be rewarded with amazingly flavorful sour cherries that sweeten on the tree without losing their character.
I love seeing those trees heavy with their ruby fruit—it always brings me joy.
Not long ago sour cherries were challenging to grow in Alberta. The Evans variety became available publicly only around 1996 and has a local origin story. Alberta horticulturist Dr. Ieuan Evans found a robust strain of sour cherry trees in an old orchard northeast of Edmonton, where cherries had been cropping since 1923. He propagated the vigorous suckers and shared them widely, and the Evans cherry quickly gained popularity across Canada and in other cold-climate regions. These trees reach 10–15 feet, are easy to grow, and reliably produce heavy harvests of large, juicy cherries nearly an inch across.
This is what summer tastes like—soft baked fruit, bright and tart, topped with a crunchy, buttery crumble. Absolutely worth making.
I found beautiful B.C. apricots at the farmers market, and pairing them with Alberta Evans cherries felt like a natural choice to showcase both fruits.
Look at those glowing jewels.
The fruits nestle together under their blanket of crumbs to become this:
*****
Kitchen Frau notes: If Evans cherries aren’t available, substitute another sour cherry variety. Peaches or nectarines can replace apricots if you prefer.
Apricot and Evans Sour Cherry Crisp
- 2 cups diced apricots, ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes (about 340 g)
- 2 cups pitted Evans sour cherries (about 320 g pitted) or another sour cherry variety
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar (evaporated cane sugar preferred)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
- ⅓ cup (75 g) soft coconut oil or butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (125 g) lightly packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup (50 g) oat flour, gluten-free if needed
- ½ cup (50 g) ground almonds / almond meal
- ½ cup (45 g) rolled oats (quick oats), gluten-free if needed
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place the diced apricots and pitted cherries in a 9-inch (23 cm) square or 10-inch (25 cm) round baking dish. Sprinkle the almond extract over the fruit and toss lightly to distribute the flavor.
Mix the ½ cup sugar and the cornstarch or potato starch in a small bowl until smooth and free of lumps. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.
In a stand mixer bowl or by hand with a wooden spoon, cream the coconut oil or butter with the salt and brown sugar until combined. Stir in the oat flour, ground almonds, and rolled oats until the mixture is crumbly—use your fingers to rub the mixture together if needed.
Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden.
Serve warm with ice cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped cream. Leftovers make a lovely breakfast with yogurt.
Serves 6.
Guten Appetit!
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