Cherry Popovers

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Cherry Popovers are made from just a handful of ingredients. They are light and fluffy and have plenty of cherries baked in.

September 1st is National Cherry Popover Day! Obviously, you must celebrate by making cherry popovers! You’ll need a popover pan, and you can make them any time of year since this recipe calls for using frozen cherries. Share your cherry popovers on social media today using the hashtags #NationalCherryPopoverDay, #CherryPopoverDay and #RecipesForHolidays.

Be sure to follow my September Food Holidays page so you never miss a food holiday in the month of September!

“My uncle ordered popovers from the restaurant’s bill of fare. And, when they were served, he regarded them with a penetrating stare. Then he spoke great words of wisdom as he sat there on that chair: “To eat these things,” said my uncle, “You must exercise great care. You may swallow down what’s solid, but you must spit out the air!” And as you partake of the world’s bill of fare, that’s darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air. And be careful what you swallow.”

-Dr. Seuss

The History of Popovers:

Popovers were invented by settlers in Maine as a modification of their British Yorkshire pudding, and they became popular across New England in the 1800’s. The oldest known reference to popovers is in a letter of E.E. Stuart’s in 1850.

The first cookbook to print a recipe for popovers was M.N. Henderson’s Practical Cooking in 1876.

The popover got its name because the batter puffs up while cooking and pops up over the edge of the popover tin, giving it a fluffy top.

Ingredients needed:

• unsalted butter
• whole milk
• eggs
• all purpose flour
• sea salt
• lemon zest and lemon juice
• frozen cherries

How to make Cherry Popovers:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease the popover tin with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender (or standard blender), mix together the milk and eggs until there are no longer any streaks of whites or yolks. Add the flour and salt, and pulse until combined. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice and pulse until the batter is thoroughly incorporated. Alternatively, whisk the batter by hand. Stir in the cherries.

Fill the greased popover tin 2/3- 3/4 full of batter. Place the tin in the center or bottom third of the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes undisturbed. Do not open to peek at the popovers during this time. The batter needs all the heat and steam from the oven to rise.

The finished popovers should be golden brown on the outside and feel light in weight. They should be crisp on the outside and slightly soft and chewy on the inside. Serve the popovers warm.

Although these cherry popovers don’t have any sugar in them, they are still sweet because of the cherries.

They are an excellent accompaniment to tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Fun Facts About Popovers:

• Popovers are also known as “laplanders.”
• One of the secrets of making good popovers is to let them cook undisturbed without opening the oven until they are finished baking. They need all the heat and steam they can get to create a good shape.
• There are two main differences between popovers and Yorkshire pudding. They are each baked in a different type of pan. Yorkshire pudding is baked in beef fat (roast drippings). Popovers are baked in butter.
• Popovers can be served as a sweet or savory treat (with tea), and they can also be served as a savory side to soups and stews.