Sour cherry and mincemeat strudel

Sour cherry strudel is a Middle European dessert, loved by Austrians, Germans and Hungarians all year round. This version is made with mincemeat so it’s perfect during the Christmas festivities. I used my own, leftoversour cherry mincemeat, but you can use your own or even shop-bought versions - mixed with a handful of dried sour cherries. Also, if your mincemeat has no nuts then do add some almond flakes to the filling - otherwise it’s not necessary. You can use sour cherries in syrup (drained), if you can’t find frozen ones. This sour cherry and mincemeat strudel is vegan if you use oil and dairy-free mincemeat. Serve it with custard, ice cream, brandy cream or plant-based cream.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Resting Time 4

Total Time 35

Servings: 6 people

Cuisine: British, Mid&East European

Calories: 1234

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

350 g frozen pitted sour cherries (defrosted)
2 Tbsp brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g sour cherry mincemeat
3 Tbsp muscovado sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
3 Tbsp breadcrumbs or 2 Tbsp corn flour
3 Tbsp ground almonds
3 Tbsp almond flakes optional
4 sheets of filo pastry
Melted butter or sunflower oil

Method

Squeeze the juice out of the sour cherries, then mix the fruits with the brandy and vanilla. Soak for a couple of hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Add the sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, breadcrumbs, ground almonds and mincemeat. Fold in the almond flakes, if used.
Place the filo sheets on a kitchen towel (so that you can easily roll up the strudel) and lightly brush with oil/melted butter between the sheets. Spread the filling along the longer side, then gently roll it up and carefully place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the top with the leftover oil or butter and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. When slightly cooled, cut it into thick slices, dust with icing sugar and serve.