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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Made this yesterday and it was FANTASTIC!
I’m making this right now! It is in the oven, but I noticed that you asked to use half the sugar for the batter and then what? I don’t see the other 1/4 cup of sugar coming up again in the recipe. (except for on top, which mentions the 2 tablespoons.) In any case, this looks so good and it is cherry season here so I can’t wait to see the results. Thank you!
Hi Samantha, Hopefully you figured this out while it was baking, but the remaining sugar gets sprinkled on top of the clafoutis when you remove it from the oven. Hope you enjoyed it!
I made my first clafoutis yesterday, and it’s delicious. I want to save some for my sister/housemate but she won’t be here till Wednesday. Can I freeze the clafoutis? Or will it turn into inedible goo?
I do think it can be frozen. And glad to hear you enjoyed it!
My family loves this recipe. However, I was just diagnosed with pre diabetes. Any suggestions on where I can cut the sugar/cream?
Hi Bonnie, you could try cutting the sugar (for the batter) to 1/3 cup and use slightly less sugar on top. Regarding the cream, you could skip it and use a 1/4 cup additional milk. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
Just wondering if you could use jarred or frozen cherries when cherries are not in season? If so, what if any modifications to the recipe are needed? Thanks!
Gary
Hi Gary, If you have good-quality frozen cherries they will work, but I’d stay away from jarred ones.
We just got home from Michigan and we had 2 1/2 cups of tart cherries. This was the perfect recipe for them. Delicious!!
Do you use sweet or sour cherries?
Sweet 🙂
Can this be made with blueberries or figs?
Sure, either will work. Enjoy!
I made this last night using blackberries instead. It turned out pretty and delicious!
It really is delicious and pretty easy as well. Thanks for the inspiration. I have always wanted to make a clafouti and your email arrived the morning after a bag of BC Okanagan cherries did.
Another great recipe from Jen. We have an abundance of wild plum trees on our property, so we used them instead of cherries. The almond extract was a nice touch. It was fantastic!