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Cherry Clafoutis
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This delicious and easy to bake Cherry Clafoutis is one of those desserts that looks delicious and tastes gorgeous, but it is also SO easy to make. Juice cherries are baked into a simple to mix together almond and vanilla batter and baked until warm and golden… perfect topped with a scoop of ice cream.
Notes from The Patisserie
If you haven ever made a clafoutis before, you need to try it. It’s a classic and incredibly easy to make French dessert, that is somewhere between a pancake and baked custard. I love to put cherries into mine, but theoretically it will work with any fruit….
It takes barely any minutes to prepare, with de-stoning the fruit being the longest part if I am honest. This version has plenty of fresh cherries, ground almonds, a bit of double cream and a dabble of almond extract (all of these ingredients are wonderful separately or all together).
Unlike a sponge cake, this batter is really thin before it’s baked, but as it bakes it sets until a creamy custard like pancake texture that is just so delicious. It’s meant to not be too cake like, so don’t panic if it still has a wobble when it comes out of the oven, as that is what you are looking for.
Ingredient Notes and Tips
The clafoutis batter
This is incredibly easy to mix and that is part of the charm of the dessert – if there is any recipe that I can whack together in one bowl and mix, I am going to make it. Make sure to find the full recipe below in the recipe card:
- Eggs – I always use medium eggs in my baking, if you want or need to use large eggs I would recommend using two large eggs with an extra egg yolk.
- Flavours – I add almond and vanilla extract to this bake because I love the addition of both. However, you can leave them out, or just use one or the other.
- Sugar – I find the addition of light brown soft sugar adds a natural caramel undertone, but it can be switch to granulated sugar (will be lighter in colour generally)
- Almonds – ground almonds/almond meal is important for texture and flavour – you can add extra by sprinkling flaked almonds on the top of the dessert before baking if you want!
- Flour – a touch of plain flour – only a small amount, but you don’t want to substitute for self raising flour because you do not want any raising agent
- Cream – thick and delicious double cream (or heavy cream depending on where you are) is best for the best bake
A fruity kick
This recipe is based around using fresh cherries, of course, but there are a few helpful notes or swaps you can make…
I personally really would recommend using fresh cherries for the best results, but you can use alternatives. Frozen cherries can work, but it may make the dessert slightly stodgier due to the extra moisture, and tinned cherries will have a natural sugar syrup around them so the dessert may be sweeter in flavour.
You can also use other berries if you would prefer: raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries… etc! You can also swap the cherries to other fruits – pears, apricots, plums and more!
If you want to give the dessert an extra kick… you can add kirsch! To do this, I would de-stone and chop the cherries the day before baking, and add a few tablespoons of kirsch to the bowl. Cover and store in the fridge overnight for the kirsch to soak up nicely
FAQs
How should I serve my clafoutis?
Personally, I love to serve mine with some vanilla ice cream but I love ice cream with any warm pudding. You can dust with icing sugar, serve with some extra fresh fruit, a dollop of yoghurt, or even a little custard.
Why is my clafoutis wobbly?
A little wobble is good, as it will have the correct texture once baked. If it’s slightly over baked, it will just have a slightly firmer texture but is still wonderful when warm.
Is this supposed to be custardy?
Yes, it is!! It can be served as a ‘slice’ or a ‘scoop’ like I have, but it has a set custard texture.
How is it best served? warm?
I definitely prefer this most when warm, but you can enjoy it fresh out of the oven warm, room temperature, or chilled.
Why is my clafoutis rubbery?
This is usually a sign that it is over baked – unfortunately ovens do vary no matter what we think we have set them to, as well as brands of ingredients and dishes causing timing changes. Aim for a small wobble in the middle, that is still relatively firm and not completely liquid.
Cherry Clafoutis Recipe
A delicious and incredibly easy to make Cherry Clafoutis with a taste almond baked custard style base, studded with fresh cherries and ready within the hour
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Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 500 g cherries (fresh)
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 75 g light brown soft sugar
- 50 g ground almonds
- 35 g plain flour
- 250 ml double cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan and grab a 23cm dish
- Prep the cherries by de-stoning
- In a new bowl, add the eggs, almond and vanilla extracts, sugar, almonds, flour and cream
- Mix together to combine
- Pour the cherries onto the bottom of the dish
- Pour over the mix
- Bake in the oven for 25-30+ minutes until golden with a small wobble in the middle
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and serve
Notes
- This dessert is best served fresh, but can last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Storage & Freezing
The clafoutis is the best, in my opinion, when it’s served warm and fresh from the oven… particularly with a big scoop of ice cream. However, the dessert does last in the fridge for 3-4 days when covered.
You can reheat the dessert (cover with foil and heat for 5-10+ minutes), or you can microwave in portions in short bursts.
Whilst yes the dessert can freeze, it may make the dessert lose its texture slightly.