Easy Cherry Clafoutis

Cherry Clafoutis is one of the easiest Summer dessert you can make! The only thing that really matters is that it stays creamy and custardy inside, barely golden on top, and never rubbery.

That’s exactly what I’ll show you here! In France, clafoutis is a summer staple, you’ll find it on tables all over the country the second cherry season hits.

What Is Clafoutis?

Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a classic French dessert: fresh fruit baked into a loose, eggy batter that sets somewhere between a custard and a cake.

If you’ve had flan or a Dutch baby, you’re already close — clafoutis lands right in the middle. It should be soft and custardy in the center with lightly golden at the edges. It comes from the Limousin region in central France, where cherries were the original fruit, but we now make it the whole year in France with different fruits.

My 5 Tips to Make the Perfect Clafoutis

I make clafoutis again and again, mostly because it’s almost impossible to mess up! Still, I have a few pointers for you before you dive in:

• Pick ripe, in-season cherries. They’re the star of the show! I personally love using slightly tart cherries in my clafoutis.
• Don’t overwork the batter. Mix too much, or reach for a blender, and you risk a rubbery texture.
• Use a wide, shallow dish. Clafoutis is a flat dessert. For it to bake evenly, you want a depth of about ¾ inch, 1 inch max (2–3 cm).
• Butter the dish well. If you want to serve your clafoutis in neat slices, grease the dish generously with butter. Then dust it with sugar, which caramelizes into a thin crust underneath.
• Serve it warm, not hot. Clafoutis keeps setting as it cools; straight out of the oven it’s still too soft. Let it rest at least 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe card

Easy Cherry Clafoutis (French recipe)

4.92 (34 reviews)

During cherry season, if there’s one dessert you’ll find on tables all across France, it’s cherry clafoutis.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Kitchen equipment

• 1 round baking dish, 9 inch (23 cm)

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 1 lb fresh cherries pitted (500 g)
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour (100 g)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar (75 g)
• 1¼ cups milk or ⅔ cup milk plus ⅔ cup heavy cream (300 ml total — 150 ml each if splitting)
• 1 tsp flavoring of choice lemon zest, vanilla extract, rum, or orange blossom water

For greasing the dish

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the dish with butter and dust it with sugar.
   
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar, then make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk from the center outward, gradually pulling in the flour from the edges.
   
3. At the same time, pour in the milk little by little, in a thin stream, until the batter is smooth and runny. Stir in your flavoring of choice.
   
4. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
   
5. Let the clafoutis cool to warm before serving: the batter firms up as it cools. Serve it with a little powdered sugar, some whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
   

Video

Notes

For a lighter clafoutis, replace 30% of the flour with cornstarch (a generous ½ cup flour, 70 g, plus ¼ cup cornstarch, 30 g).

For a richer, silkier clafoutis, swap half the milk for heavy cream (⅔ cup milk plus ⅔ cup cream, 150 ml each).

Your clafoutis keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition facts

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg

The Ingredients for Cherry Clafoutis

That’s the good thing about clafoutis, you just need a few ingredients that you probably already have at home:

• Cherries: Pitted, for me, end of story. Some French recipes leave the pits in, claiming they lend an almond flavor. Honestly, it’s just not fun to eat around them 😉!
• Eggs: The base of the batter.
• Milk: Or swap half of it for heavy cream if you want a richer, silkier result.
• Flour: Just a little. You can replace 30% with cornstarch for an even creamier texture.
• Sugar: Not much, and you can add a bit more or less depending on how sweet your cherries are.
• Flavoring: This is where you get to play! I often use vanilla extract, but rum, lemon zest, orange blossom water, or bitter almond extract all work beautifully.
• Butter: Just for greasing the dish.

And if cherry desserts never get old for you during the season, try my sweet cherry galette too.

How to Make a Lump-Free Clafoutis Batter

Clafoutis batter is quite runny, a lot like crêpe batter. Here’s how I put it together to avoid lumps:

1. Mix the flour and sugar, make a well in the center, crack the eggs into it, and whisk from the center outward, pulling in the flour little by little.
2. As you go, start pouring in the milk (or cream) in a thin stream, slowly. Not all at once, or you’ll get lumps. Whisk until the batter is nice and runny, then stop so you don’t overwork it.
3. Stir in your flavoring of choice, then pour it over the cherries arranged in your greased dish.

One last trick: you can make the batter the night before and let it rest overnight in the fridge. Perfect when you’ve got people coming over. As a bonus, the flour hydrates and the batter turns out more even.

Which Fruits Can You Use Instead of Cherries?

Did you know? A clafoutis made with any other fruit is officially called a flognarde — I only just learned that writing this post! Whatever you call it, you can keep the basic clafoutis batter and switch up the fruit. My favorites:

• apricots, my top pick! Here is my apricot clafoutis recipe.
• plums, more of a fall fruit, lovely with a pinch of cinnamon in the batter.
• rhubarb, for those who like a little tartness: add a bit more sugar here.
• apples or pears, great in fall; sauté them quickly in butter first for more flavor.
• blueberries or raspberries

By the way, did you know that we also make savory clafoutis in France? Take a look at my clafoutis with zucchini and goat’s cheese!

How Is Clafoutis Served in France?

In France, clafoutis is best enjoyed lukewarm – it shouldn’t be too firm or rubbery, but should remain slightly creamy in the middle. In my family, we love to scoop it straight from the baking dish with a spoon! But if you’re serving guests, you can bake the clafoutis in small ramekins for individual portions — just reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes.

It goes well with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And to drink, perhaps a cool rosé, a glass of cider or an aromatic fruit tea (tisane in French)!

More French Desserts

• French Apricot Tart
• Financier (French Recipe)
• French Apple Tart
• French Apple Cake