When I lived in London, this was a dessert that SA loved to order from a local bakery. He would ask for a Kala-fa-tis, and was usually met with a clueless blank stare and a “you mean a croissant?” Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced Kla-foo-tee) is traditionally served for dessert, fresh out of the oven and topped with cream or powdered sugar, but I prefer to eat it cold for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. This is a fantastic dish to serve for breakfast, brunch, tea, or dessert, as the batter can be made ahead and left to rest until it’s time to cook in the oven. Feel free to play around with different fruits that are in season. It’s beautifully versatile and especially delicious with berries of all varieties.
Why You Will Love This Cherry Clafoutis
- No need to be a French chef! Just blend the batter, add the cherries, and let the oven do the rest. It’s so simple!
- The texture!!! It has a light, custardy center with lightly crisp, golden edges.
- It’s a dream to customize! Swap the cherries for berries or your favorite stone fruit.
- This creamy dessert is not overly sweet. The delicate sweetness lets the fresh fruit be the star.
- No matter the occasion, it’s a simple yet elegant recipe you’ll find yourself making all summer long.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Butter: Adds richness as it’s topped with the cherries and egg mixture.
- Fresh Cherries: The star of the show! Tart, sweet cherries are the ultimate, classic fruit used in clafoutis.
- Eggs: Used to create the signature light, custardy texture.
- Extracts: Vanilla extract adds classic sweetness and almond extract enhances the cherries with a subtle almond flavor.
- Cream and Milk: The heavy cream makes the custard extra rich and silky, while the whole milk lightens the batter creating a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Sugar: Sugar both sweetens the clafoutis and helps it brown beautifully.
- Flour: A little bit of flour helps to gives the clafoutis structure.
- Pinch of Salt: Just a little to bring it altogether.
- Powdered Sugar: A delicate dusting that adds sweetness and an elegant presentation.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Ceramic Quiche Baking Dish
- Blender (Alternatively, mixing bowl and whisk)
- Cherry Pitter or Paring Knife
Tips for the best Cherry Clafoutis
- Whisk just until smooth to keep the custard light and tender.
- The center should have a slight jiggle when you remove it from the oven, and it will continue to set as it cools.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Preheat the oven. Place the butter in a ceramic quiche pan and transfer it to the oven for a few minutes so the butter will melt.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the egg mixture ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Remove the pan from the oven and use a brush to coat in the melted butter.
- Add in the halved cherries and spread them out in a single layer in the pan. Pour in the batter.
- Transfer to the oven to bake until completely set and golden brown.
How to Modify
- Although black cherries are tradtional, they’re not always available. Try your favorite fruit, like berries, peaches, pears or plums.
- You can use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar.
- Skip the almond extract if you’re not a fan.
- Add some lemon zest or orange zest to brighten it up.
- Add some warmth with a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.
Dietary Customizations
- Gluten-Free: Try 1:1 Gluten-free flour or a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. I’ve used a 1/4 c. of each in the past with delicious results.
- Dairy-Free: Substitute the milk and heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk or your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk and cream alternative, and use dairy-free butter to grease the pan.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
If serving for a brunch, add a Fruit Platter, Ham and Spinach Souffle, or Summer Sheet Pan Frittata.
This is easiest French dessert to serve to guests after Chicken Chasseur, Beef Bourguignon, or Ragu alla Bolognese.
Common Questions
Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced Kla-foo-tee) is a classic French dessert made with fresh cherries baked in a sweet, custard-like batter which resembles a cross between a very thick crepe and a flan. Traditionally, it comes from the Limousin region of France and is often made with black cherries. Although, I prefer this with cherries, I often make this dish with blueberries since cherries have such a short season. Other fruits that would taste fantastic in this recipe include blackberries, raspberries, peaches or plums, so you can make this dish according to your tastes and preferences.
Fresh cherries are traditional and give the best flavor and texture, especially during cherry season. However, frozen cherries work well too and then allow for any time of year. Be sure to thaw, drain and pat dry first to prevent excess liquid from making the custard watery.
A cherry pitter is the quickest and cleanest option, especially if you’re making a recipe like cherry clafoutis with several cups of cherries, but if you’re ready for the extra effort, try placing it on a bottle. Place the cherry on top of an empty bottle opening, push a chopstick, reusable straw, or thick drinking straw through the cherry, and the pit will pop out the other side.
Cherries naturally sink as the batter bakes because they are heavier than the custard mixture. This is normal and part of the traditional look of clafoutis.
Yes. You can bake this delicious dessert a day ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before serving or gently warm slices in the oven or microwave.
Store the leftover clafoutis in an airtight container or covered baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The texture will become more custard-like as it chills.
More Desserts You Will Love
- Chai Palmiers
- Blueberry Lemon and Cream Cheese Puff Pastries
- Chocolate Covered Dates
- Almond Butter Blondies
- Hasselback Apples
If you make this Cherry Clafoutis, let me know in the comments section below. I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Cherry Clafoutis
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups halved pitted cherries
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup flour
- Pinch of salt
- Icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit
- Place the butter in a ceramic quiche pan and transfer to the oven so the butter will melt (3-4 minutes)
- Meanwhile to a blender combine the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, heavy cream, milk, sugar, flour and salt and blend for about 20-30 seconds until smooth.
- Remove the quiche pan from the oven and use a brush to ensure that all edges of the pan are coated in the melted butter.
- Add in the halved cherries and spread them out in a single layer in the pan. Pour in the batter
- Transfer to the oven to bake for 40 minutes until completely set. Allow to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar and slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
How long do you let batter rest?
taste is great but the oven temp is wrong. You might want to adjust to 325-350 and adjust the timing. At 200 degrees this would take all day
Hi, I really didn’t like the coconut flour in this recipe. My clafoutis turned out inedible for me. I think I’ll stick with almond flour for this one.
I’m so sorry to hear the coconut flour was too overpowering. If you use 1/2 cup of almond flour in place of the coconut flour the texture may be a bit more dense but I’m sure it will taste great.
The perfect recipe for this time of year when cherries are in season!