Go Back
Alpine cherry bread bake in a white ceramic dish with a golden top, sour cherries, and a dusting of icing sugar

Alpine Cherry Bread Bake with Kirsch and Brown Sugar

A rustic Alpine-style baked dessert of day-old bread, sour cherries, kirsch, and egg custard. Crisp on top, soft and jammy underneath.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g day-old white bread, thickly sliced about 6 thick slices, crusts on
  • 400 g drained jarred sour cherries from a 680 g jar, drained weight
  • 2 tbsp kirsch
  • 300 ml whole milk
  • 100 ml heavy cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • 60 g brown sugar plus 1 tbsp extra for the top
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 20 g unsalted butter softened, for greasing and dotting

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 355 F. Butter a 22 x 28 cm baking dish generously.
  2. Spread the drained sour cherries in an even layer over paper towels and pat dry. Toss them with the kirsch and set aside.
  3. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.
  4. Cut the bread slices in half on the diagonal. Arrange half the bread in a single layer in the buttered dish, overlapping slightly.
  5. Scatter half the kirsch-soaked cherries evenly over the bread layer.
  6. Add a second layer of bread slices over the cherries, pressing them down gently.
  7. Pour the custard mixture slowly and evenly over the whole dish. Press the top bread layer down firmly with the back of a spoon so it begins to absorb the liquid.
  8. Scatter the remaining cherries over the top. Dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the extra tablespoon of brown sugar.
  9. Let the dish rest at room temperature for 10 minutes so the bread soaks through fully.
  10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is deep golden and the custard is set at the center. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean with no liquid custard.
  11. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. Dust with icing sugar if you like and serve with creme fraiche or ice cream.

Notes

Nutrition is estimated per serving based on 6 portions and drained jarred sour cherries. Kirsch adds minimal calories but contributes significantly to flavor, so don't skip it if you can help it.