Easy cherry clafoutis is a super smooth, velvety and creamy dessert which can be ready in less than an hour! This cross between cake and custard is made with thick, flan-like batter, packed with sweet and juicy cherries soaked in bourbon and dusted with some icing sugar.
Serve it hot, lukewarm or cold, with a dollop of crème fraîche, whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream for a delicious summery treat.
Jump to:
What is clafoutis?
If you are not familiar with this traditional, French dessert, let me bring you up to speed. Clafoutis is a baked dessert, traditionally with black cherries. It is made from thick, crepe- like batter consisting of mixture of eggs, flour, sugar, butter, milk and cream. Traditionally, it is baked with whole cherries, including their stones as the pits add hints of almond flavor to the dish.
It can be made with variety of fruits, not necessarily cherries. Plums, apples, pears, all sorts of berries- they all will work great in this recipe! Baked clafoutis is usually dusted with some icing sugar and served with a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche, while still a bit warm.
Why I love this recipe
I'm a huge fan of cherries, so naturally, this clafoutis recipe is one of my favourite ways to enjoy them. If like me, you love sweet and juicy cherries, make sure to also check out my Homemade Cherry Pie and my Chocolate Cherry Brownies recipes. Cherry season only lasts short time ( July and August in the UK), so be sure to make the most of it!
One of the main reasons why I love this recipe so much is the ease of it. Clafoutis batter is made with only 9, basic and simple ingredients. You only need one bowl and it takes literally about 5 minutes to make the batter.
The only part that is a bit more time-consuming is pitting the cherries. Ideally you want to have a cherry pitter, but check out the FAQ's section for suggestions on what else you can use to pit the cherries with. Other than that, you don't need any special equipment. You can whisk the batter with kitchen whisk or use a hand-held electric mixer, if you'd like.
Ingredients notes:
As mentioned above, this cherry clafoutis recipe is made with only simple, basic ingredients. You probably already have most of them in your kitchen. Let's have a look at some of the key ingredients:
- Fresh cherries - The stars of this recipe! I used two different types of sweet cherries, dark red and yellow (also called white), rainier cherries. Any variety of sweet cherries will work, so just use whatever you have available.
- Dark rum or bourbon - Optional, but highly recommended as it adds lovely flavour to the cherries, you can also use kirsch or whiskey instead.
- Eggs - Try to use medium eggs in this recipe. Higher ratio of egg whites to flour may result in a more rubbery texture of this bake.
- Plain flour & ground almonds - Main dry ingredients of this recipe. Use plain/ all purpose flour and ground almonds, almond meal or almond flour.
- Milk & cream - Whole milk will work best, but you can also use any other type of milk. You will need a heavy/ double cream as well.
- Vanilla extract - Or vanilla bean paste. It enhances the flavour of the cherries and pairs beautifully with this dish. You can also use almond extract instead or along with vanilla.
How to make cherry clafoutis
Start with soaking the pitted cherries in alcohol, tossing them few times. This step is not necessary, but it will add lovely flavour to your cherries. If you prefer to omit soaking the cherries in alcohol, simply skip this step.
Next, beat the eggs until smooth. You can use hand-held electric mixer or hand whisk for this. Beat the eggs for about a minute or so, you want to make sure you have smooth mixture at the end.
When eggs are sufficiently mixed, sieve the plain / all purpose flour and ground almonds into them, then add caster or granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract or paste. Whisk again until smooth. Pour the melted and cooled butter and whisk again. Finish by gradually whisking in the milk and the cream.
Pour the batter into the baking dish and top it up with all the cherries. Do not discard that lovely juice from the bottom of the bowl! Drizzle it all over the top of your clafoutis or reserve it for serving!
Clafoutis will take about 30- 35 minutes to bake. You know it's ready when the top is golden brown and the toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean (or with only few crumbs attached to it for creamier clafoutis).
If the top is catching too much colour but the centre is not quite there yet, simple cover the bake with some kitchen foil and bake for few more minutes.
How to serve
Ideally, you want to cool down this bake before serving it. Allow it to stand for about 20 minutes. Dust it with some icing / powdered sugar then slice it into equal pieces. Serve with crème fraiche, whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream and some fresh cherries on top if you like.
Make ahead & storing instructions:
You can prepare your cherries and soak them in the alcohol of your choice a day ahead. Simply store them in the fridge until you are ready. Same goes for the batter. It can be made a day before and stored in your fridge. Make sure to whisk it well before pouring into baking dish next day, as it may separate.
Any leftovers can be stored in the airtight container in your fridge. They will last for a couple of days. It can be re-heated again, but it can also be eaten cold.
Frequently asked questions:
Why is my clafoutis rubbery?
There could be few reasons for this. The oven temperature was too high, or you've baked it for too long. It takes 30 minutes in my fan-assisted oven (at 170 C) for clafoutis to be ready. Try reducing the temperature and baking time next time.
Also, make sure to use the right size eggs. As mentioned in the ingredients notes, too much egg whites to flour ratio will result in more rubbery texture.
I don't have cherry pitter, what else can I use instead?
Luckily, there are lots of other options available! Use a toothpick, piping nozzle or pastry tip, chopstick, or even a straw! You just need something that will push the pit out of the fruit, so any longer, thin object that can be inserted into the cherries will work. You can also visit this helpful post from The Spruce Eat to read about lots of other, alternative methods.
Can I use frozen or tinned cherries?
Yes you can. Although clafoutis tastes best with fresh fruit, you can also use frozen cherries (I haven't tested this recipe using frozen cherries). If using frozen fruit, you will need to adjust baking time.
Tinned cherries can also be used instead of fresh ones. You may want to rinse them first under the water, before adding them to the batter, to prevent the fruit from 'bleeding'.
Can this recipe be made gluten-free?
Yes, it can! This recipe is actually adapted from this Gluten-free Cherry Clafoutis recipe from Bojon Gourmet. Follow the recipe from Allana's blog for a GF version.
What else can I use instead of flan/ tart dish?
Any oven-safe dish will work. Pyrex- style dish will be a great substitute, a skillet or even the heat-proof, large bowl.
Can I freeze this cherry clafoutis?
Unfortunately, clafoutis doesn't freeze that well. The texture of it becomes really mushy after freezing and defrosting it, so it's best eaten fresh, or stored in the fridge for up to two days.
If you tried this Easy Cherry Clafoutis or any other of my recipes, feel free to leave me a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you!
To pin this recipe and save it for later, use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above.
This post was originally published in August 2019 but has been updated with new photos and new content and recipe tips.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Clafoutis
Equipment
- 25 cm flan dish or oven-safe dish
- cherry pitter (optional)
- mixing bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
- 400 g fresh sweet cherries pitted
- 2 tablespoon dark rum or bourbon (optional)
- 45 g butter (melted and cooled)
- 3 medium eggs
- 55 g caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 40 g ground almonds
- 70 g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 180 ml whole milk
- 60 ml double cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar (optional)
- 1 pot creme fraiche (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 190C (180C fan). Lightly grease the 25 cm round flan/ tart dish or oven-safe dish with some butter and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cherries and rum/ bourbon and set aside while you prepare the batter.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Sieve the flour and ground almonds into the eggs, followed by sugar, salt, vanilla. Whisk it all until smooth. Add melted butter and whisk again. Gradually, whisk in the milk and double cream. You should have a smooth, thick batter.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking dish and top it up with cherries. Drizzle the top with any leftover cherry/rum juice. You can also reserve some of the leftover cherry juice for serving. Bake the clafoutis for 30-35 minutes in the middle of the oven until golden brown. It is ready when toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool slightly. Dust the clafoutis with some icing sugar and serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche on top.
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature
- Batter can be prepared day ahead and stored in the fridge. Make sure to whisk the batter before pouring into the dish as it may separate.
- If you don't have flan dish, you can use any oven-safe dish. Pyrex-style dishes will work well, skillet or oven-proof pan, or even a heat-proof large bowl can be used instead.
- Any leftover clafoutis can be stored in the fridge in airtight container. It can be re-heated in the oven or microwave, but it can also be enjoyed cold.
- Clafoutis is not suitable for freezing.
Bianca Zapatka says
Wow, totally love this cherry cake dessert! This looks so beautiful and delicious, especially that moist and fruity filling is just perfect! Would love to grab a slice out of the screen! Sending much love to you! <3
annabanana says
Thanks so much gorgeous! I would love to share this clafoutis with you over a cuppa, perhaps one day we will! Sending much love back your way Bianca!
Amy says
I’ve never had clafoutis before. But if it tastes like a thick crepe I’m all in! This looks amazing! I love the added cherries and how this can be served for a brunch or dessert! I can’t wait to try this recipe out in my kitchen!
annabanana says
Hey Amy, thanks so much for stopping by! It tastes like a cross between Dutch baby and thick crepe and I truly hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Daniela says
Love a good clafoutis recipe and your pic are stunning! Thanks so much for sharing :)!
annabanana says
Thank you Daniela, so happy that you like the recipe and the photos!
Michele says
This definitely looks very decadent and delicious! I think it’s so interesting that unpitted cherries add an almond flavor. I did not know that. This is a gorgeous dessert and looks so fancy to serve to company!
annabanana says
Hi Michele, thanks for stopping by! They really do, in fact, most of the almond extract is made from cherry pits because they taste more like almonds than actual almond itself! One day I will be brave enough to bake it with pits! 🙂
Marisa F. Stewart says
Luckily cherries are still in season and we picked up several pounds of those delicious little fruit. I wanted to make something a little different for dessert and this recipe sounds like just what I'm looking for. The lemon zest and rum will add to the flavor. I know the family will go nuts over it.
annabanana says
Hehe, thank you so much Marisa, I truly hope that your family will go nuts for this recipe! 🙂
Kate says
I tried to make clafoutis once a long time ago and it came out rubbery, but I am definitely inspired to try again with this recipe because it looks so delicious!
annabanana says
Hello Kate! If clafoutis gets baked for too long it may taste a bit rubbery. I always check mine after 25 minutes to make sure it's not being over-cooked. Hope you will give the recipe another chance! 😉
Shelley says
Oh yum! Cherries and vanilla are such a fantastic flavor combination ... add almonds (and rum or bourbon!) ... even BETTER! And really terrific info about exactly what a clafoutis even is, plus tips so it turns out perfectly - thank you for sharing this terrific recipe post!
annabanana says
Awww Shelley, thanks so much for this lovely comment, you're so sweet! Really happy to hear that you enjoyed this post!
Jenni LeBaron says
This clafoutis is gorgeous! I love the little bit of rum and lemon zest to help bring the flavors out.
annabanana says
Hey Jenni, oh gosh, me too! Anything with a bit of a boozy kick and I'm in! 😉
Aline says
My bf is French and clafoutis aux cerises is such a classic!! We loved the recipe and he’s so happy to have had a taste of his home in our California home – thank you!! xx
annabanana says
Hey Aline, that is so awesome to hear! I'm really glad to hear that you and your friend enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by!
Julie says
I know it's traditional to keep the pits in, but I can just never bring myself to do it. It just seems so... cruel to serve a beautiful dessert to company and then make them spit out pits, or worse yet, have someone take a big bite without realizing and crack a tooth! (So like you, I always take out the pits - or eliminate confusion and just make one with blackberries instead!)
annabanana says
LOL, Julie, that made me laugh! I can just imagine the guests gathering around a fancy table with this beautiful clafoutis, spitting pits everywhere! 🙂 They do add lovely flavour, but I'm also not brave enough to bake it with pits!
Ela says
Your dessert looks beautiful, Anna! Have you ever tried a vegan version? It's sounds so mouthwatering with all the cherries. 🙂
annabanana says
Hey lovely! Thanks so much! And I have tried vegan clafoutis (not this very recipe) in the past and it was delicious, it was made with silken tofu I think. Sending big hug and wishing you a great weekend! x
Lizzy Briskin says
Beautiful! I've always wondered when people are using double cream, and now I know--clafoutis! I'll have to pick up the next jar I see!
annabanana says
Hehe, thank you Lizzy! Double cream is the equivalent of the heavy cream in the US, and it creates lovely texture in this clafoutis! Enjoy your weekend!
Chef Dennis says
This is a great way to use fresh cherries! I love clafoutis and don't make it or see it often enough.
Chef Dennis says
I am so loving this mouth-watering dessert so much! And the idea of serving this with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream is perfect!
annabanana says
Thanks so much Dennis, so happy to hear that you like the recipe! Topping it with a generous amount of creme fraiche or cream is a must!
Jess says
This is just perfect for cherry season Anna!
annabanana says
Thank you so much Jess! I've been eating my body's weight in cherries, and will continue until the season ends 😉