I came up with this ah-mazing gluten free Chocolate Cherry Pie when I was preparing for my father-in-law’s visit. He has a lot of food sensitivities and LOVES pie more than anyone I know. He has a serious sweet tooth (I can relate) and likes to have dessert each day after dinner (my kind of guy). I had been toying around with a chocolate and cherry idea when it hit me that I could turn it into a gluten free and vegan layered pie. My father in law loved it so much that I made a second pie for him a few days into his visit. I call that a serious win:-)
The Crust
I have used my homemade Flaky Pie Crust as well as store-bought crusts when making this pie. Both the Wholly Wholesome gluten-free vegan crust and Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse crusts work very well. The Whole Foods brand is not vegan though. It is important to pre-bake whatever crust you use. The Wholly Wholesome shrunk a bit and the outer edges cracked, but it was flaky and very tasty. The Whole Foods’ crust didn’t shrink noticeably and the outer crust remained intact and tasted delicious. If you’d like to make a vegan crust, check out the gluten-free graham crust in my Blueberry Cardamom Cream Pie. It can be made vegan by substituting the butter with coconut oil or a dairy-free butter.
The Layers
On top of the crust is the creamy chocolate layer. This is super rich, made with dark chocolate and vegan cream cheese. I would call this layer “bitter sweet.” Next is the cherry layer. I used frozen cherries because they are available year around. It was hard to tell they were frozen though. They were plump, juicy and perfectly tart and sweet. If you decide to try fresh cherries, let me know what you think in the comments below and if you made any other adjustments to the recipe. The topping is light, airy and creamy. It balances the richness of the chocolate and the brightness of the cherry layer really well.
Cooking the Cherries
When making this recipe, be sure to put all of the ingredients for the cherry filling into the pot at the same time. If you add the cornstarch after the mixture has begun to heat up, it won’t dissolve and you will end up with little white lumps throughout the filling and it might not set properly.
Once all of the ingredients are in the pot, give it a good stir and you will see the cornstarch dissolve into the lime and cherry juices. It looks white-ish pink at this point. Once it begins to boil, the sauce become clear and thickens as it should. It is lip-smacking good at this point when it is warm too! I had a mind to pour it over a big bowl of vanilla ice cream and call it a day. Note to self: That would make a great recipe post for another day…. Somehow I remained focused and finished the pie… so glad I did! It was worth the happiness it brought my father-in-law.
More Sweets to Check Out
- Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Pie
- Gluten and Dairy Free Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Dairy Free Chocolate Covered Banana Ice Cream
- Dairy Free Tropical Rum Ice Cream
Chocolate Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 5 cups frozen pitted dark cherries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice from approximately 4 limes
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free & vegan optional
- 8 ounces cream cheese dairy-free & vegan optional
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 container thawed frozen whipped topping dairy-free & vegan optional
- 1 ready-made pie crust dairy-free & vegan optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Bake a standard 9-inch pie crust according to the instructions on the package or for approximately 15-25 minutes. It is best to “weight” the crust with a layer of parchment and pie weights, rice, or beans to keep the crust from bubbling up in the center. You can also put another pie plate on top to weigh it down. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool completely before filling.
- In a large pot, all at once combine the frozen cherries, sugar, lime juice and cornstarch over a medium high heat until bubbling and thickened. The sauce will turn from white-ish pink to clear red and coat the back of the spoon when it is ready. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Don’t put in the fridge or it may set and won’t pour into the crust properly.
- While the cherry mixture and pie crust are cooling, heat the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl for approximately 1 minute. Stir, then heat again and stir in 15-30 second intervals until the chips are melted and the chocolate is smooth and pourable. If you overheat the chocolate, it will seize up and clump. If this happens, you would need to start over with new chocolate:-( There isn’t anyway to bring it back, unfortunately.
- Using a hand mixer, combine the melted chocolate with the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Pour into cooled crust and spread it around the bottom and sides of the crust in an even layer with a spoon or spatula. Put this in the fridge while the cherry mixture continues to cool.
- Once the cherry mix has cooled to room temperature, pour it on top of the chocolate layer in the crust and put in the fridge to chill. You can loosely cover it or leave it uncovered while it cools. Once the cherries have chilled and set (this will take about 2-3 hours), you can top with Truwhip Vegan or So Delicious Coco Whip, drizzle extra melted chocolate, or shaved chocolate and garnish with cherries or chocolate dipped cherries if you wish.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. The longer it is kept chilled, the more easily it will slice and hold it’s shape. I prefer making this the day before I plan to serve it.