Cherry Clafoutis
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Clafoutis is a simple French dessert that is part flan, part Dutch baby, and all parts délicieux!
Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a simple French dessert consisting of fruit baked in a sweet, custard-like batter. The texture is unique and hard to describe — think of it as a cross between a fruit-filled flan and a Dutch baby. While cherries are the classic choice, clafoutis can also be made with other fruits, such as berries, plums, apricots, or apples. Similar to another French classic, crepes, clafoutis batter is a breeze to whip up in a blender, making pitting the cherries the most time-consuming step. Interestingly, some traditionalists swear by using stone-in cherries, claiming they add a subtle almond flavor. But who wants to spit out cherry pits (or, worse, crack a tooth!) while enjoying a lovely French dessert? As a workaround, I pit the cherries and add a dash of almond extract to capture that almond essence.
The secret to making a good clafoutis, in my opinion, is using a combination of milk and heavy cream for the custard batter. Most recipes call for just milk, but cream adds richness and ensures the clafoutis bakes up creamy rather than rubbery. Clafoutis can be served lukewarm or at room temperature, plain or dusted with powdered sugar.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Cherry Clafoutis
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by pitting the cherries. I use the Leifheit Cherry Stoner, and it makes quick work of the task.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an over rack in the middle position. Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat.(Alternatively, if you don’t have the right skillet, melt the butter in the oven in a 2-quart baking dish.)
Swirl the butter so that it coats the sides the pan. Place the cherries in an even layer in the skillet (or baking dish).
In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.
Pour the batter over the cherries.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the clafoutis from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Place back in the oven and continue baking until just set and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Note that clafoutis will wiggle just a bit when done, but a toothpick or knife inserted into the center should come out clean.
Let cool on a rack for about 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar (if using), and serve directly from the pan.
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Cherry Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a simple French dessert that is part flan, part Dutch baby, and all parts délicieux!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (12 oz) cherries, stemmed and pitted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. (Alternatively, if you don't have the right skillet, melt the butter in the oven in a 2-quart baking dish.) Swirl the butter so that it coats the sides the pan. Place the cherries in an even layer in the skillet (or baking dish).
- In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, cream, ½ cup of the sugar, the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Pour the batter over the cherries.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the clafoutis from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place back in the oven and continue baking until just set and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Note that clafoutis will wiggle just a bit when done, but a toothpick or knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool on a rack for about 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar (if using), and serve directly from the pan.
- Leftover clafoutis will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 215
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 23 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 116 mg
- Cholesterol: 91 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jennifer
Looks delicious. Can I make this recipe with fresh raspberries? They are now in season and locally grown here in Quebec. Was wondering as they are more delicate that cherries. Thanks.
Hi Cynthia, raspberries should work nicely — hope you enjoy! 🙂
Wonderful! I’ve never had anything quite like it. my family loves cherries and we got some on sale this week, so I decided to try it. Everyone enjoyed it and I loved how easy it was!
Can this be made with dairy free milk?
Sure – enjoy! 🙂
Awesome! Maybe the first time I understood why the French like Clafoutis so much… Living in Europe I tried several Clafoutis recipes before. Well, it was just dough with some fruits…. This recipe is a game changer. It is so much better… LOVE IT!! Thank you Jenn!
Hi Jenn. What appliance would you recommend if you don’t have a blender- a mixer/food processor/hand mixing? Would that change the finished product’s texture? We’ve got fresh cherries, and this sounds like a good recipe to try. Thank you!
Hi Melissa, I’d just whisk it by hand; just make sure to whisk it very thoroughly to get the batter smooth. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Thank you, Jenn. It came out great! Though pitting the cherries takes some time, the rest was quick and easy. It’s rich and sweet, but not overly so. It would make a nice addition for a brunch buffet too.
Loved this recipe! Super easy, other than pitting the cherries! I’m excited to try it with other fruit as well. Definitely a keeper!
This was a surprisingly easy recipe to make, Thanks for sharing it; everyone liked it.
I didn’t have cherry pitter but will buy one. A search of the internet showed how to stick a cherry stem side down in a bottle and then push out the pit with a chopstick. It didn’t take any longer than it did to preheat the oven.
This looks delicious but don’t have cherries. I do have loads of red grapes – would those work instead?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This recipe showed up just when I was wondering what to do with 2 1/2 lbs of Bing cherries. 2 cups of cherries filled my 9-inch pie pan, 1 cup of buttermilk pancake mix flavored with almond extract covered the cherries, and 30 minutes later out of the oven came a slightly browned cherry dessert. Thanks for such a delicious, timely recipe! It’s a keeper!
This looks delicious, but a full recipe is way too much for just me. Is there a way to downsize the recipe to perhaps two servings?
Hi Jo Ann, It may be hard to cut it down to 2 servings, but you could cut it in half. It keeps nicely in the fridge for 3 days so you can spread it out over those days. You can use a baking dish instead of a cast iron pan; I’d guesstimate a 1.5-quart baking dish would work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!