Cherry Pie Bars (Cherry Kuchen Bars)
, Updated Mar 27, 2025
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Irresistible Cherry Pie Bars! Also known as Cherry Kuchen Bars, these yummy slices combine cherry pie filling with a delicious crust and sweet glaze.
I was idly scrolling through my Instagram feed the other days and someone had posted a photo of cherry kuchen bars. Needless to say I immediately dropped everything to bake them!
After a little research I realized that Cherry Kuchen Bars was a recipe popularized by Better Homes and Gardens. While “Kuchen” means cake in German, this doesn’t appear to be a German recipe.
But in the end, whether you call this recipe Cherry Pie Bars, Cherry Bars, Cherry Slice, or Cherry Kuchen Bars, all that matters is that they are DELICIOUS!!
This is a great recipe that uses up cherry pie filling which I always seem to have tins of squirreled away.
But while a cherry pie is undeniably delicious, it is also a lot of work – these cherry bars are quicker, easier and just as yummy!
And I finally found a bake that EVERYONE in the family loves, picky kids and husband included! I am very impressed with how quickly we polished off the whole baking tray.
So do yourselves a favor and make these Cherry Pie Bars on the double. I am sure they will become one of your favorite recipes!
Here’s what you will need
- Unsalted Butter and Shortening
- Sugar (I used golden granulated)
- Baking powder and salt
- Almond extract
- Eggs
- Flour (all purpose / plain flour)
- Cherry pie filling – or your favorite pie filling
- Powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze
How to make Cherry Kuchen
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
- Cream the butter and shortening using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the sugar, baking powder and salt and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs and almond extract (the batter might look a little curdled).
- Gradually add in the flour, beating it in and using a spoon to mix the last of it in if needed.
- Spread enough batter into a non-stick 15x10x1 inch baking pan to cover the base in an even layer, using an offset spatula. The batter will be quite soft.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Spoon the cherry pie filling small mounds over the cherry filling, leaving small gaps as it will spread while baking.
- Bake for a further 25- 30 minutes or the crust just starts to color. Leave in the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Combine the ingredients for the icing in a bowl, adding as much lemon juice or milk as needed to create a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cherry kuchen bars, slice and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- You can use any type of pie filling to change things up!
- Scatter with flaked almonds to add some crunch.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for dessert. SO YUM!
- Make sure your pan is non-stick. Loosen the edge of the bars with a small knife before slicing.
Cherry recipe inspo!
HAVE YOU MADE MY CHERRY KUCHEN BARS RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Cherry Pie Bars (Cherry Kuchen Bars)
Video
Ingredients
For the cherry pie bars
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup (113g) shortening
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 cups (300g) flour all purpose / plain
- 21 oz (600g) cherry pie filling
For the glaze
- 1 ½ cups (200g) sugar powdered / icing
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Lemon juice or milk as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Cream the butter and shortening using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (113g) shortening
- Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally.1 ¾ cups (350g) sugar, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
- Beat in eggs and almond extract until combined.3 large eggs, 1 tsp almond extract
- Gradually add the flour, mixing it in. You can use a spoon to stir in the last of the flour.3 cups (300g) flour
- Spread enough batter into a non-stick 15×10 baking pan to cover the base, using an offset spatula. The batter will be quite soft.
- Bake for 12 minutes then spread the cherry pie filling over the crust.21 oz (600g) cherry pie filling
- Spoon the reserved batter in small mounds over the pie filling, leaving some gaps as it will spread while baking.
- Bake for a further 25- 30 minutes or the crust just starts to colour.
- Combine the ingredients for the icing, adding as much lemon juice or milk as need to create a pourable glaze.1 ½ cups (200g) sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, Lemon juice or milk as needed
- Drizzle over the cherry kuchen bars once they have cooled down slightly (in the pan).
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
