As the story goes, she misread the directions the first time she made it and the crust flipped over onto the top of the fruit. However, it came to be made, “cherry flop” was a hit and she continued making it the same way. I used fresh sweet cherries to make this dessert, but my grandmother made it for years using canned cherries. Please note that Grandma made her Cherry Flop with plain cherries canned in water, not cherries in heavy syrup, and not cherry pie filling. It works great either way, but I do recommend taking advantage of the fresh cherries while the season lasts.
I’ve adapted her original recipe to make the most of the sweet cherries that are in season so briefly and I’ve added a splash of almond extract because it is a perfect match for the cherries. As with most of our desserts, I’m also giving you both the gluten-free recipe and the traditional version. Served warm, with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream on top, this is an awesome summer dessert! Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Cherry Recipes
For more desserts made with fresh cherries, these Cherry Coconut Bars and this Roasted Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream are both favorites here. Classic Black Forest Cake will forever be Sean’s favorite dessert. Very Berry Cherry Pie, Almond Cupcakes with Fresh Cherry Frosting, and these Chocolate Cheesecake Cherries are all on my must-try list with this season’s cherries.
Grandma’s Cherry Flop Recipe
{originally published 7/11/14 – recipe card updated 6/10/22}
