Clafoutis (Best Cherry Clafoutis Recipe)
on Apr 08, 2021, Updated Apr 04, 2022
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Clafoutis is a classic French dessert that is pleasing to both the eyes and taste buds. Sweet, fresh cherries are baked in a simple batter of milk, sugar, eggs, and flour. The result is a fruity, creamy dessert with a taste similar to custard. You can easily customize this recipe with other fruits like blueberry, raspberry, or apple.
When I need a simple treat for breakfast, I often make Bisquick Coffee Cake, Blueberry French Toast Casserole, and this delicious Clafoutis.
Cherry Clafoutis is a delicious dessert that’s very easy to make. Simply pour your batter over the fruit and bake. A generous dusting of powdered sugar completes this satisfying dessert. Be sure to use our hack for removing cherry pits for an even more enjoyable Clafoutis experience.
What is Clafoutis?
Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert that can be served warm or cold. As with a flaugnarde, the Clafoutis is made by arranging fresh fruit in a buttered dish before pouring in a thick batter. After baking, the Clafoutis resembles a large, thick pancake with a pudding-like texture. Though this dessert may be made with apples, peaches or other fruit, it is traditionally made with black cherries.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Fresh Cherries: For the best Clafoutis, use fresh, pitless cherries. If your cherries have pits, see below for an easy way to remove them. Clafoutis may also be made with other fruit such as berries, sliced apricots, or mixed fruit.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is most ideal, but go ahead and use salted butter or margarine if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sugar: Your choice of brown or white sugar may be used for this recipe.
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs for your Clafoutis recipe. For a vegan dessert, substitute one egg for a mixture of two tablespoons water, two teaspoons baking soda and one teaspoon vegetable oil.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe, but can be substituted with your preferred gluten-free flour.
- Vanilla Extract: For best results, use pure vanilla extract.
- Milk: Use your choice of dairy or plant-based milk.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered or confectioners sugar is used for dusting your baked Clafoutis. Look for it in the baking aisle.
How to Make Clafoutis
1. Grease the pan and sprinkle granulated sugar evenly on top. Set the dish aside.
2. Remove the stems and pits of the cherries. Place them in the prepared baking dish in one single layer.
3. Beat the eggs and add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
4. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Pour in milk and mix well.
5. Pour the batter over the cherries in the baking dish.
6. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden on the edges. Remove from oven and let it rest for about 30 minutes before serving.
Tips for Making the Perfect Cherry Clafoutis
- To remove the pits, simply put the cherry over the mouth of a small bottle and use a straw or chopstick to push the pit out of the cherry and into the bottle. The bottle neatly collects the pits so they can easily be discarded.
- Make sure NOT to serve it immediately after it comes out of the oven as it will fall and deflate easily.
What Does a Clafoutis Taste Like?
Clafoutis is a dessert that can be described as a flan, pancake and soufflé in one. Though it’s sweet, it’s not overbearing and has a mild, fruity taste. The texture will remind you of a thick custard or pudding and the baked pieces of fruit seem to melt in your mouth. Clafoutis can be enjoyed warm or cold with your favourite hot beverage.
What is the Texture of Fruit Clafoutis?
Though Clafoutis resembles a large pancake, it doesn’t have a cakey texture. When it comes to texture, this dessert is more like flan, with a custardy, pudding-like feel. If your oven is too hot, or if your clafoutis has been baking for too long, it may have a rubbery texture. When you remove your clafoutis from the oven, allow it to cool before serving. This helps prevent deflation of this soufflé-like dessert.
Can You Eat Clafoutis Cold?
The beauty of this dessert is that it can be served both warm and cold. Allow the dessert to cool after removing it from the oven before enjoying a sweet, warm “puddingy” dessert. You may also refrigerate your clafoutis and serve it cold, as you would with flan.
How to Serve Clafoutis?
A dusting of confectioner’s sugar is simply delightful atop your clafoutis. This fruity French dessert can be served warm or cold and is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Bon appétit!
How to Store Cherry Clafoutis?
After allowing it to cool, store your clafoutis in the fridge and consume within 3 days. Leftovers may be eaten straight out of the fridge or heated in the microwave or oven for a warm, comforting dessert.
Can You Freeze Clafoutis?
This dessert is best eaten fresh, so we don’t recommend freezer storage. Try to consume your clafoutis within three days of baking for the best taste.
Variations
Blueberry Clafoutis
Fresh, juicy blueberries are a delicious substitute for cherries in your clafoutis. What’s more, there are no seeds or pits to remove. Blueberries are small enough to be used whole.
Raspberry Clafoutis
Tart raspberries are a delicious addition to your dessert. For larger size raspberries, slice them in half before putting them in the dish.
Apple Clafoutis
For an American variation on a French classic, add apples to your clafoutis. Cut apples into thin, 1/8-inch slices, taking care to remove any seeds.
Mixed Fruit Clafoutis
Combine all your favorite fruits for a colorful dessert. Try sliced peaches, mixed berries, cherries, or plums. If you like, you can even throw in some nuts.
If You Like This Recipe Try These Out
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Cherry Clafoutis turns out in the comments below!
Clafoutis Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cherries
- 3 cups fresh cherries, (pitted)
- unsalted butter, (to grease the baking dish)
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Clafoutis Batter
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, (melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- pinch of salt
Optional
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degree. Grease a 9-inch round baking dish.
- Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly. Set the dish aside.
- Clean the cherries, remove the stems and pits of the cherries. (Pro tip: if you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can place the cherry onto the mouth of an empty bottle, and use a chopstick to push out the pit.)
- Place the cherries in the prepared baking dish in one single layer.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs. And add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Mix in the melted butter. Then mix in the flour until smooth. Finally mix in the milk.
- Pour the batter over the cherries in the baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden on the edges.
- Remove from oven and let the clafoutis rest for about 30 minutes before serving. (Don’t skip this step as it will firm up your clafoutis.)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t serve it immediately after it comes out of the oven as it will fall and deflate easily.
- You can customize this recipe using different types of fruits like peach, pear, blueberries, apricot, and strawberries.
- Store leftover clafoutis in the fridge and they’ll last up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
I made this this morning and took it to work for an office birthday party. It was a hit! So easy to make too. I loved your pop bottle method of pitting sweet cherries. It worked great and is much faster than digging the pits out with a paring knife as I have always done in the past. Thanks!
One thing I forgot to mention is that the flour was left out of the instructions so I had to look at other recipes to decide when to put it into the batter. You might want to update that in the recipe instructions.
When do you add the flour?
I just picked the cherries from our sweet tree this morning and wanted to make something special. This certainly was! Excellent recipe, easy, and suitable tribute for the first Cherry dessert from our 3 year old tree!!!