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Cherry Brown Betty (Challah Cubes + Crumb Topping)

A rustic American dessert layering butter-soaked challah cubes with sweet-tart cherry filling and a crispy breadcrumb topping. Golden, bubbling, and irresistible straight from the oven.

Details
Cuisine American
Servings 8–10
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45–55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Cherry Filling

Ingredient Imperial Metric
Fresh or frozen cherries, pitted 6 cups 900 g
Granulated sugar 3/4 cup 150 g
Brown sugar 1/4 cup 50 g
Lemon juice 1 tbsp 15 ml
Vanilla extract 1 tsp 5 ml
Cinnamon 1 tsp 2–3 g
Nutmeg (optional) 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp

Thickener

Ingredient Imperial Metric
Cornstarch 1–1 1/2 tbsp 8–12 g
Cold water 2 tbsp 30 ml

Challah Bread Layers

Ingredient Imperial Metric
Challah bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 6 cups 300 g
Unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup 170 g
Brown sugar 1/2 cup 100 g
Cinnamon 1 tsp 1 tsp
Salt pinch pinch

Buttery Breadcrumb Topping

Ingredient Imperial Metric
Fresh breadcrumbs 1 1/2 cups 75 g
Brown sugar 1/4 cup 50 g
Unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup 57 g
Cinnamon 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp
Salt pinch pinch

Instructions

Prep

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Generously butter a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish.

Cherry Filling

  1. Toss the cherries with both sugars, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. In a small dish, stir the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth, then fold the slurry into the cherry mixture.

Assemble

  1. In a separate bowl, combine the challah cubes with the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, tossing until evenly coated. Spread half of the buttered cubes across the bottom of the prepared dish.
  2. Spoon the cherry filling over the challah layer in an even layer, then scatter the remaining challah cubes on top.

Topping & Bake

  1. Mix the breadcrumbs, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and salt together, then sprinkle evenly over the top.
  2. Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Let it rest for 15–20 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Approximate values per serving (9 servings).

Per Serving
Calories 560
Protein 5g
Carbs 78g
Fat 26g

Notes

  • Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.