Sour Cherry Streusel Flan

This Sour Cherry Streusel Flan is a beautiful European-inspired tart combining a tender buttery pastry base with sour cherry jam, a smooth lemon-scented curd cheese filling and juicy sour cherries, all finished with a crisp golden streusel topping.

The pastry is lightly par-baked before filling, helping it remain tender beneath the creamy cheese and fruit layers. Meanwhile, eggs and cornflour work together to gently set and stabilise the curd cheese filling, creating a texture that is smooth and creamy yet firm enough to slice.

The tartness of the sour cherries beautifully balances the richness of the curd cheese and buttery pastry, while the streusel adds the final contrast of sweetness and crunch.

Once baked until lightly golden, the flan is cooled completely and finished with a dusting of icing sugar.

Creamy, tart, buttery and crisp, this Sour Cherry Streusel Flan is perfect for dessert, morning tea or afternoon tea.

Baking for Every Table.

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Prep Time 2

Cook Time 45

Total Time 2 45

Servings: 8 people

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Baking

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Short crust

375 g Plain Flour
2 g Salt
250 g Unsalted butter cubed
125 g Castor sugar
1 Egg 70g 1

Filling

325 g Soft curd cheese (Quark) 2
2 Eggs 70g 1
100 g Castor sugar
2 Lemon rind zested
40 g Cornflour

Streusel topping

140 g Plain flour
68 g Castor Sugar
68 g Unsalted Butter cubed

Jam

70 g Sour cherry jam

Sour Cherries

260 g Pitted sour cherries

Icing Sugar

50 g Sifted icing sugar

Olive Oil

40 g Olive oil

Equipment

1 22cm fluted deep flan tin with a removeable base
1 Oven
1 Stand Mixer
1 Stand Mixer with a flat paddle
1 Rolling Pin
1 pastry brush
1 paring knife
1 fork
1 Large Knife
1 refrigerator
2 Medium bowls
1 citrus zester
1 Palette Knife
1 Flour Sieve
1 Medium Spoon
1 Medium Bowl

Method

Set the Oven 170℃
Prepare a 22 cm deep fluted tart tin with a removeable base with oil brushing the base and sides

Dough

Add to a stand mixer with a flat paddle on a low speed- flour, salt ,sugar and butter and rub until breadcrumbs
Add in the egg and mix on a low speed until it forms a dough
Block out and cover
Rest in the fridge for 30 mins wrapped
Dust the bench lightly and roll out 3/4mm thick evenly with a rolling pin ensuring to roll form the middle
Roll the pastry into the tin and press down the side and base trying not to stretch the dough. Cut the top and dock the bottom with a fork
Rest in the fridge for 30 mins
Par bake until a light golden brown

Filling

In a stand Mixer with a flat paddle beat the cheese with the eggs sugar and lemon rind on a low speed
Add in the cornflour and mix until it is smooth

Streusel

Add the flour sugar and butter to a stand mixer with a flat paddle
Rub into small bread crumbs pieces

Sour cherry jam

Smooth the jam to ensure there are no lumps

Pitted sour cherries

Drain the cherries well to ensure there is no liquid

Putting the tart together

Spread a thin layer of jam onto the par cooked short crust base
Top with the curd filling
Evenly spread with the cherries ensuring there is no juice
Lightly top with streusel
Bake at 170C for 35-40 mins until a light golden brown
Cool completely before dusting with icing sugar and plating up

Notes

1 – Eggs: Always Use 70 g Eggs

For consistent results, use 70 g eggs for this recipe.

Egg size can vary considerably, and this changes the amount of liquid and protein added to both the pastry and curd cheese filling. Therefore, using the specified egg size helps maintain the correct balance of moisture, structure and richness.

In the filling, the egg proteins coagulate during baking and work alongside the cornflour to create a filling that is smooth and creamy but firm enough to slice once cooled.

2 – Quark Cheese: Why Use It and Where to Find It

Quark is a fresh European-style curd cheese with a mild, slightly tangy flavour and a soft, creamy texture. It is traditionally used throughout Central and Eastern European baking and pairs particularly well with sour cherries and lemon.

Quark works beautifully in this tart because it provides dairy protein, moisture and body without the heaviness of traditional cream cheese. Consequently, the finished filling remains creamy while tasting fresh and relatively light.

Look for smooth quark or European-style curd cheese in the refrigerated dairy or specialty cheese section of larger supermarkets, European delicatessens and specialty food stores.

If your quark contains visible whey or appears particularly wet, drain off the excess liquid before weighing it. This helps maintain the correct moisture balance in the filling.

3 – The Rub-In Method for Pastry

The rub-in method involves working the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs before adding the remaining wet ingredients.

The science behind this technique is simple: fat coats some of the flour particles, creating a physical barrier that limits how readily the flour proteins can hydrate.

As a result, less gluten develops once liquid is introduced, helping produce a pastry that is short, tender and crumbly rather than tough or elastic.

Work efficiently and avoid over mixing once the dough comes together. Then rest the pastry in the refrigerator before rolling.

4 – Why Keep the Streusel in Large Breadcrumb Pieces?

When making the streusel, mix the flour and sugar before adding the softened cubed butter. Stop mixing when large, irregular breadcrumb-sized clusters have formed.

Don't continue mixing until the streusel becomes fine and sandy.

Larger pieces create pockets of butter, flour and sugar that bake into distinct crisp, golden clusters. Meanwhile, the smaller crumbs fill the spaces between them, giving the topping an attractive irregular texture.

During baking, the butter melts, moisture evaporates and the flour structure sets. At the same time, the sugar contributes sweetness, colour and crispness.

Therefore, keeping some larger breadcrumb-sized pieces gives the finished tart a much better contrast between the crunchy streusel, juicy sour cherries and smooth quark filling.

5 – Sour Cherry Jam: Why Use It and Where to Find It

Sour cherry jam adds a concentrated layer of cherry flavour between the buttery pastry and smooth quark filling. Its combination of sweetness and acidity also helps connect the rich pastry with the tart fruit above.

Look for products labelled sour cherry, morello cherry or black cherry jam, although Morello or sour cherry will give the closest flavour to this recipe.

In Australia, sour cherry and Morello cherry jams can often be found in the jam or international-food section of larger supermarkets, European delicatessens, continental grocers and specialty food stores.

For the best flavour, choose a jam with a good percentage of fruit and a noticeable tartness, rather than an overly sweet cherry jam.

6 – Sour Cherries: What to Buy and Where to Find Them

For this tart, look for sour cherries or Morello cherries rather than regular sweet cherries. Morello cherries have the characteristic sharp, slightly acidic flavour that works beautifully with the creamy quark filling.

In Australia, jarred Morello cherries are often the easiest option to find. Look in the canned and preserved fruit aisle of larger supermarkets, as well as European delicatessens and specialty grocers.

Frozen sour cherries are another excellent choice and may be available from European, Middle Eastern and specialty food stores.

Whether using jarred or frozen cherries, drain them extremely well before weighing the 280 g required for the recipe.

If using frozen cherries, thaw them completely first and then allow them to drain thoroughly.

This step is important because sour cherries contain considerable moisture. Removing the excess juice helps prevent the curd cheese filling from becoming too wet and protects the par-baked pastry underneath.

Don't squeeze the cherries, however. Allow them to drain naturally so they retain their shape and juicy texture.

Any leftover sour cherry juice can be saved and reduced separately to make a delicious sauce or syrup for serving with the finished tart.