Clafoutis (VIDEO)

Cherry Clafoutis, this classic French dessert is the ultimate flan-like recipe that comes together really quickly and easily! It has a custard-like creamy texture and can be made with a great variety of fruits, eg. berries, cherry, apple, etc. This is a rustic dessert, with a homemade comfort food vibe, and probably the easiest recipe on my blog!

Jump to:

• 📖 What is Clafoutis
• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🍮 Other French desserts
• Easy Clafoutis (VIDEO)

📖 What is Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a baked French dessert that contains some kind of fruit (cherries most often) and a flan-like batter made with milk, egg, cream, and flour, and traditionally baked either in a pie dish or cast-iron skillet. Clafoutis is typically served warm and dusted with powdered sugar or with cream.

The Clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of France and nowadays served in many high-end restaurants throughout France. The clafoutis desserts I came across in France have more like custard, almost flan-like texture with very little flour and no baking powder in them, and my recipe is following the same. However, if you want your clafoutis fluffier, I suggest you use more flour and baking powder as well.

What fruit to use? Clafoutis is super versatile, you can make it with plenty of different fruits; cherry clafoutis, sour cherry clafoutis, plum clafoutis, apricot clafoutis, blackberry clafoutis, peach clafoutis, and the list goes on! Make sure you adjust the sugar according to the fruit.

If you love French desserts, make sure to check out my ultimate best French pastries list with recipes!

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. It is sooooo easy – As fancy as clafoutis sounds making this French dessert is extremely easy. It literally whips up just like a pancake! Seriously, this is the easiest recipe I will probably ever make on this blog
2. It is very quick - All you need is to whisk the ingredients and bake!
3. It is super delicious – I never compromise on taste! This clafoutis recipe is the perfect dessert with a silky custard-like texture, deep vanilla notes, and lovely cherries in each bite! Absolutely irresistible!

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Flour: All purpose flour works absolutely well in this recipe. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
2. Almond flour: You can either purchase these flours or pulse bland roasted almond with the flour until it becomes a powder-like texture
3. Salt: An essential ingredient in most dessert recipes. Balances flavor and enhances other ingredients
4. Sugar: The recipe is made with a small amount of granulated sugar. Feel free to adjust the quantity depending on the sweetness of the cherries. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my sugar guide
5. Egg: Clafoutis is sort of an eggy custardy dessert so the egg has a key function in this recipe. Use it at room temperature
6. Milk: I suggest using whole milk in all my recipes at room temperature
7. Heavy cream: Also known as whipping cream or double cream. The recipe is made with half cream - half milk for extra creaminess. I suggest using 36% fat content good quality cream at room temperature
8. Vanilla extract: Vanilla is the key flavoring in this recipe, use good quality pure vanilla, I actually prefer vanilla bean paste. There are several great brands for fine, pure vanilla, I use Nielsen massey which I love and really recommend
9. Cherry: I used frozen sour cherries, but the good news is that any fresh or frozen cherry can work. If using frozen, make sure you use a paper kitchen towel and carefully soak most of the unnecessary liquid out of the fruits before using so it won´t make the dessert too wet

For decoration, a small amount of powdered sugar is used. Out of powdered sugar? Check my substitutes for powdered sugar article!

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. The process of making the clafoutis batter

The easiest option is to place all ingredients (except cherry) into a food processor, but if you don´t own one I suggest the following

• Lightly whip room temperature eggs, cream, milk, and sugar for a minute using a hand whisk
• Whip in dry ingredients (flour, almond flour, salt) and vanilla extract

Well, that´s it! This recipe for clafoutis is as easy as whipping up waffles!

💡 Top Tip: Use room temperature ingredients for the best emulsification

2. How to bake

I suggest baking this recipe in 3 steps, but first, pre-heat your oven 15 minutes before baking. Make sure you invest in an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer especially if you are experiencing that your oven does not always work as it should.

• Generously butter a Pie dish 9 inch / 23 cm
• Pour ¼ of the clafoutis batter into the pan and prebake for 8 minutes
• Arrange the cherries around, pour the rest of the batter over the cherries and bake for 20 minutes.
• Hint with a small amount of brown sugar and bake for further 12 minutes.

Why there are so many steps? I like to pre-bake ¼ of the batter first, so it is easier to arrange the cherries on top neatly and not all the cherries will go to the bottom of the pan. If you want, you can skip this step.

The clafoutis will puff up (due to the egg) and get golden brown on the top.

💡 Top Tip: Do not overbake your cherry clafoutis! The inside should stay creamy, custard-like, you will love it!

🥣 Equipment notes

For a consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. This is absolutely a MUST.

This recipe makes enough clafoutis batter for a 9-inch pie pan, the one I am using is this: Pie dish 9 inch / 23 cm. If using a different tin, make sure to adjust the ingredient quantities.

Finally, a Digital oven thermometer is super useful especially if you tend to struggle with the baking part.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🍮 Other French desserts