Bittersweet chocolate and sweet cherries are a match made in heaven in this cherry chocolate crumble. I like to add a little almond extract to the cherries to really make them pop, but feel free to use vanilla,
Combine cherries with sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat the fruit on medium for about 10 minutes. In that time, the cherries will release their juice, the sugar will dissolve and the mixture will come to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir in the tapioca and let the mixture sit for 1 hour, then add the almond extract.
Now make the crumble
Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, shredded coconut, and the sugar. Pour the melted butter over top and work it in with a fork and then your fingers to get all the ingredients evenly mixed.
Pour the cherry mixture into a 10 inch round deep dish baking dish (or equivalent). Top with the crumble, pressing the crumble mixture together as you drop it over the cherries to help form clusters of crumbs.
Bake the crumble for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cherry mixture is quite bubbly and hot. Let sit to cool on a wire rack before enjoying warm or at room temperature. It tastes amazing served with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
For the tapioca, I used tapioca like this on Amazon