This isn’t really a cobbler in the traditional sense, and the name admittedly undersells it a little. What you’re actually building is a layer of bright, boozy cherries under something closer to a molten chocolate truffle than a standard biscuit topping — dense, barely set in the center, the kind of thing that cracks slightly on top and stays soft and almost fudgy underneath. Served warm, with vanilla ice cream melting into the cherry juice at the edges, it’s the kind of dessert that makes people stop mid-conversation.
What You’ll Need
For the cherry filling:
- 48 oz. frozen unsweetened pitted sweet cherries, fully thawed and drained
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (or another orange liqueur)
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
For the chocolate truffle crust:
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 4 extra-large eggs, plus 1 extra-large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For serving:
- 2 pints vanilla ice cream
How to Put It Together
1. Get your setup ready
If you’re baking right away, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) with the rack centered. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish generously — this isn’t a dish to be shy with the butter on.
2. Build the cherry layer
Set a strainer over a large bowl and drain the thawed cherries, saving exactly 1/2 cup of the juice and tossing the rest. Put the drained cherries back in the bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk that reserved cherry juice together with the sugar, cornstarch, and Grand Marnier until it’s completely smooth with no cornstarch lumps hiding at the bottom. Pour that over the cherries, toss until everything’s evenly coated, and transfer it all into your prepared baking dish.
Prep Note: If you want to get ahead of things, this filling holds up fine covered in the fridge for a day. Just pull it out right as you start on the crust.
3. Make the truffle crust
Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (keeping the bowl from actually touching the water), or just melt it in the microwave if that’s easier. Stir until it’s fully smooth, then set it aside to cool slightly while you move on.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes. This takes longer than it feels like it should, but you’re waiting for the mixture to turn pale and roughly triple in volume to give the crust its proper structure.
Drop the mixer to medium, sprinkle the flour over the eggs, and blend just until it disappears into the batter. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the cooled chocolate mixture in gently — you want to keep as much air in the eggs as you can, so don’t stir aggressively here.
Prep Note: This batter can also be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated for up to 8 hours. Just bring it back to room temperature before adding it to the cherries.
4. Bring it together and bake
Give the cherry mixture in the dish a quick stir, then spread the chocolate batter evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You’re looking for a crust that looks dry on the surface, fruit juices bubbling up visibly at the edges, and a skewer inserted in the center that comes out with a few moist crumbs still clinging to it, not completely clean.
To Serve
Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. That short cooldown is what lets the cherry juices settle instead of flooding the plate the second you cut into it. Serve it warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.