It happened! Cherry season hit the LA Farmers Markets and I am living my truth. Typically I'm a cherry straight to the face kinda gal, but I'll make an exception and bake them for this Cherry Clafoutis!
Table of Contents
If you've never had or heard of a Clafoutis before, it's a baked French fruit dessert that has a thick flan-like batter piled on top. It's usually dusted with powdered sugar and served semi-warm and in my opinion, should always have a dollop of freshly whipped cream. It's perfection. Easy to make and easier to eat - my favorite kind of recipe!! So hop to it, go grab some cherries from your local market and make this Cherry Clafoutis over the weekend!
Variations and Substitutions
Sweet Cherries - You could totally skip the cherries if you're making this at any other time of the year and use another fruit - peaches, blackberries, blueberries... skies the limit!
Almond Milk - 2% or whole milk would also work.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Kosher Salt
- Almond Milk
- Almond Extract
- Vanilla Extract
- Sweet Cherries
- Blackberries
- Powdered Sugar
- Whipped Cream
How to Make Cherry Clafoutis
Start by preheating your oven to 400º F. Then, in a large bowl make the batter. Whisk together the sugars and eggs until pale yellow. Slowly add the melted cooled butter until evenly combined. Add the flour and salt and whisk until the batter is a smooth. Then slowly pour in the milk, whisking until smooth and shiny. Add both extracts and stir to combine.
Butter a 9 inch baking dish or skillet. Place the cherries and blackberries in a buttered baking dish or skillet. Pour the batter over the fruit, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. Serve semi-warm with a big dollop of whipped cream.
Tips & Tricks
Okay so let's get a few things out of the way up front. One - pitting cherries can be a pain in the butt at times. However, someone sent me this cherry pitter a few years ago and it's so easy I can't even complain.
Two - before my cherry pitter came into my life, I would only eat cherries raw. AKA - straight from the farmers market, right into my mouth, spit out the seed style. It's really who I am at my core. But the world has opened up to me since I started baking with them. I even add them to salads like this Cherry and Peach Panzanella. Cherry season is SHORT so we have to soak it up!
FAQ's
What does clafoutis mean in French?
Clafoutis is a batter poured over a layer of fruit and baked.
What does a clafoutis taste like?
If you've never had a Clafoutis before, it has a thick flan-like batter piled on top of a layer of fruit. It's usually dusted with powdered sugar and served semi-warm and in my opinion, should always have a dollop of freshly whipped cream. It's perfection.
Why is my cherry clafoutis rubbery?
If your oven is too hot the Cherry Clafoutis can easily overcook and become rubbery. Since all ovens run at slightly different temperatures I’d recommend an internal oven thermometer to ensure your oven is properly heated. They are 4 bucks and an essential tool when baking!
How to Store Cherry Clafoutis
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When ready to serve, cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for 5-10 minutes, until warm.
Cherry Clafoutis
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled (plus extra for greasing the pan)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups sweet cherries pitted
- 1 cup blackberries
- Powdered sugar for dusting
For the whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy cream chilled
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars and eggs until pale yellow. Slowly add the melted cooled butter until evenly combined. Add the flour and salt and whisk until the batter is a smooth.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until smooth and shiny. Add both extracts and stir to combine.
- Butter a 9 inch baking dish or skillet.
- Place the cherries and blackberries in a buttered baking dish or skillet. Pour the batter over the fruit.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. Serve and dollop with whipped cream
For the Cream
- Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla bean until medium stiff peaks form and then set aside.
Notes
- You could totally skip the cherries if you're making this at any other time of the year and use another fruit - peaches, blackberries, blueberries... skies the limit!
- Pitting cherries can be time-consuming so I like to use a cherry pitter. It's so easy I can't even complain.
- If your oven is too hot the Cherry Clafoutis can easily overcook and become rubbery. Since all ovens run at slightly different temperatures I’d recommend an internal oven thermometer to ensure your oven is properly heated. They are 4 bucks and an essential tool when baking!
Cannot wait for cherry season here, to make this for several weeks in a row!!!!!
Our daughter made this and sent us the recipe for Thanksgiving. We rarely use “real” sugar, would monk fruit work just as well?
Thank you in advance!
haven't tested it that way so can't say for sure! please report back if you do! xoxo
Thought it was good, is it supposed to be more like pudding/ custard or more firmer? Mine was more firmer than a custard would be.
Thought maybe baked to long.
Hello Gaby, could you use plums to make this dessert? Thank you
sure could!
Made this for dinner guests tonight & it was AMAZING! Love that it is not too sweet. I used all cherries because that’s what I had, but I am excited to try it with other berries next time.
I used gluten free flour as one of our guests is GF and you couldn’t even tell! Thanks Gaby!