Elevate Your Easter Brunch: Classic Popovers with Sweet Cherry Butter Recipe
These light, airy Old Fashioned Popovers, generously slathered with homemade Cherry Butter, are sure to be a cherished addition to your Easter feast or any special occasion!
There’s a special charm to vintage recipes, isn’t there? Those culinary treasures passed down through generations, or found dog-eared and well-loved in old, yellowed cookbooks. They carry stories of countless meals prepared with love, moments shared around a family table, and the simple joy of creating something delicious from scratch. For me, cooking is more than just providing nourishment; it’s about infusing every dish with warmth and affection that my loved ones can truly taste.
One of the many reasons I adore these tried-and-true vintage recipes is their inherent simplicity. Before the era of complicated ingredient lists and fancy kitchen gadgets, cooking was straightforward. Ingredients were often what was grown, raised, or readily available – pure, wholesome, and free from unnecessary additives. This focus on natural, quality ingredients ensures that the resulting dish is not only delicious but also speaks to a genuine connection with our food’s origins. These recipes truly highlight the beauty of basic components coming together to create something extraordinary.
These Old Fashioned Popovers are a perfect example of such a recipe. Despite their impressive, almost sculptural appearance, they are incredibly simple to make, requiring just a handful of staple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry: eggs, milk, flour, butter, a touch of salt, and a pinch of sugar. The magic lies in their preparation, yielding an exceptionally light and airy texture that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who tries them. They puff up beautifully, creating a hollow center perfect for filling with sweet or savory delights.
While a specialized popover pan, like the one I use, is ideal for achieving those characteristic tall, crisp sides, don’t let the lack of one deter you! If you have standard muffin tins or even oven-safe custard cups, you can still achieve fantastic results. The key is to ensure they are generously buttered and preheated, which helps create that incredible steam-driven puff. This versatility makes popovers an accessible treat for any home baker.
For these particular popovers, I relied on my trusted favorite: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour. This flour is a true kitchen workhorse. Its exceptional quality and versatility consistently deliver perfect results every time I use it, whether for baking airy popovers, robust bread, or delicate pastries. It’s a foundational ingredient that ensures success in a wide array of recipes, making it a staple in my pantry.
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour is meticulously milled from Organic hard red wheat. Unlike enriched flours, it’s not enhanced with any additives, allowing its natural goodness to shine through. Professional bakers often choose this high-protein flour for its ability to produce both tall, beautifully textured loaves of bread and incredibly light, ethereal baked goods like these popovers. It’s truly a premium, all-purpose flour that elevates any baking project.
Ready to experience the difference? Make sure to grab a COUPON for your next purchase of Bob’s Red Mill Flour products and bring this superior quality to your own kitchen.
I initially decided to make these popovers as a trial run for my upcoming Easter dinner. Hosting Easter at my house has become a cherished annual tradition, a role I happily inherited from my mother.
*This nostalgic photo captures my Grandma, myself, and my husband (then fiancé) at my Mom’s house for Easter in 1991. It brings back so many wonderful memories.*
Growing up, our family always gathered at my Grandma’s house for most holidays, but Easter was distinctly Mom’s domain. When my husband and I bought our first home, my Mom looked at me with a smile and declared, “Now you can host Easter!” And so it began. Each year, I delight in decorating our table, choosing a new theme and color scheme to make the celebration unique and memorable for everyone.
*Here’s a glimpse of our beautifully set Easter dinner table from 2014 – I truly enjoy changing up the theme and colors each year to keep things fresh and exciting.*
While the main dishes for our Easter meal remain consistently delicious – my Grandma’s traditional Smoked Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut, alongside a succulent ham – I love to experiment with the side dishes and desserts. My goal is always to create accompaniments that perfectly complement the main course. And when it comes to ham, cherries are an undeniable match made in culinary heaven. The sweet-tart flavor of cherries beautifully cuts through the richness of the ham, creating a harmonious balance. This inspired me to develop a homemade cherry butter that would be equally delightful with these popovers and our holiday ham!
*Pro Tip: For a creative twist on a classic, consider filling these impressive popovers with savory chicken and vegetables for a delightful, individual “pot pie” alternative!*
Just look at how enormous these popovers are! They consistently bake up light and incredibly airy, achieving that perfect, impressive puff every single time, thanks to the reliable quality of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour. The texture is simply divine – crisp on the outside and wonderfully tender within.
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Print Recipe
Old Fashioned Pop Overs
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- generous pinch of granulated sugar
- butter for pop over tin
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Generously butter your popover tin or muffin cups. This crucial step helps prevent sticking and promotes a beautiful rise.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the room temperature milk and eggs until thoroughly combined and slightly frothy. Gradually whisk in the flour, salt, and granulated sugar until the batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix; a few small lumps are perfectly fine.
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Place the empty, buttered tin in the preheated oven for 2 minutes. This preheating step is vital for creating the steam that makes popovers “pop.” Remove the hot tin from the oven and carefully divide the batter evenly between the 6 prepared cups.
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Bake for 40 minutes without opening the oven door (this is very important to prevent them from deflating). After 40 minutes, carefully open the oven door, take a sharp knife, and quickly cut a small slit into the side of each popover. This allows steam to escape, ensuring a crisp exterior. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until deeply golden brown and firm.
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Remove the popovers from the pan immediately and serve them piping hot. They are best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
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Enhance their flavor by topping these magnificent popovers with our delightful homemade Cherry Butter!
Nutrition
Homemade Cherry Butter: The Perfect Companion
Making this luscious cherry butter couldn’t be simpler, yet it delivers a burst of flavor that transforms any ordinary bread or roll into something truly special. With just a few basic ingredients, you can create a spread that is a wonderful alternative to plain butter, offering a subtly sweet and fruity note. The main components are typically cherry pie filling, a hint of pure almond extract for depth, and a touch of powdered sugar to achieve that creamy, smooth consistency. Simply combine softened butter with cherry pie filling, a dash of almond extract, and powdered sugar, then whip until light and fluffy. This makes for an irresistibly sweet and creamy spread that is absolutely divine on warm popovers, fresh rolls, or even toast. It’s an effortless way to add a gourmet touch to your breakfast or brunch spreads.
You can find the full detailed recipe for this incredible Cherry Butter here!
Tips for Popover Perfection
Achieving those impressively tall and airy popovers is easier than you might think, but a few key tips can ensure consistent success:
- **Room Temperature Ingredients:** This is paramount! Eggs and milk at room temperature mix more evenly and promote a better rise. Cold ingredients can shock the batter and prevent proper expansion.
- **Preheating the Pan:** Don’t skip placing the buttered popover pan (or muffin tin) in the hot oven for a few minutes before adding the batter. The initial burst of heat creates steam, which is what gives popovers their characteristic puff.
- **Don’t Overmix:** Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to tough, dense popovers instead of light, airy ones. A few small lumps are perfectly fine.
- **No Peeking!** Resist the urge to open the oven door during the main baking time. This releases the trapped steam, causing your popovers to collapse.
- **Slit for Steam Release:** The small slit towards the end of baking is crucial. It allows any remaining steam to escape, ensuring the popovers are crisp on the outside and don’t become soggy.
- **Serve Immediately:** Popovers are best enjoyed straight from the oven when they are at their lightest and crispiest. Their delicate structure means they can deflate as they cool.
I am genuinely excited to witness my family’s expressions when these beautiful, sky-high popovers emerge from the oven on Easter Sunday. Serving them alongside that sweet, homemade cherry butter will undoubtedly make for a memorable culinary experience. These aren’t just pastries; they’re a symbol of warmth, tradition, and the love poured into every holiday gathering.
What are your favorite Easter Sunday traditions? I would absolutely love to hear about them in the comments below! Your stories and comments mean the world to me, connecting us through our shared love of food and family.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.