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Cherry Clafoutis Recipe (VIDEO)

Cherry Clafoutis is a French cherry custard dessert and this recipe was inspired by our recent trip to Paris. It is one of the easiest desserts because the batter comes together in a blender.

This Clafoutis puffs up beautifully as it bakes and every bite has a juicy cherry in it. If you are a fan of cherries, this recipe will make you very happy.

Cherry Clafoutis custard in a red dish with fresh cherries on the side

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Easy Cherry Clafoutis

We were so inspired by French baking after our trip to Paris this spring. I was smitten with their sweet treats, from Crepes to Eclairs, and all of their amazing pastries and bread.

We got home right at the start of cherry season, so I didn’t lose any time flipping through Julia Child’s book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to find the perfect cherry recipe, and there it was – Cherry Clafoutis.

I got to work replicating the dessert and was delighted to discover how incredibly easy it was. Through several rounds of testing, I simplified the baking method, taking tips from the Joy of Cooking and now I have a new favorite cherry dessert.

Cherry Clafoutis Video

Watch Natasha blend together this easy cherry clafoutis recipe in just a few whirs of a blender. I know you’ll fall in love with this quick French dessert!

What is Classic Cherry Clafoutis?

Popular in France, Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced “kla-foo-TEE”) is a rustic dish traditionally made with black cherries covered in batter and baked in a dish until set. The eggy batter sets up to be custardy, more similar to a cherry Flan or Cherry Dutch Baby than a cake-like dessert.

The French usually serve clafoutis for dessert, but I think it also works perfectly as a decadent breakfast dish since it’s not overly sweet. It’s also hard to stop eating this – even though it is supposed to serve 6, my husband and I ate the whole thing two days in a row. True story!

Weird Fact:

In original versions of French Cherry Clafouti, the cherries were left unpitted, which supposedly added a bit of almond flavor. If you want almond flavor, add almond extract, but spare your teeth. We always pit the cherries for every cherry recipe, and I double-check to make sure the pits are out.

Ingredients

We’ve stayed pretty traditional with the ingredients but added a bit of rum (optional) and serve with whipped cream which makes it irresistible. You can use cold ingredients.

  • Butter – use unsalted butter to grease the pan so the dish doesn’t become overly salty
  • Cherries – black cherries are traditional, but any fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) sweet cherry will work. Avoid cherry pie filling since it’s too wet.
  • Milk – we used whole milk, but you can use any milk or even almond milk
  • Eggs – this is the basis of the custard
  • Baking Staples – sugar, vanilla extract, flour (measured correctly), salt, and confectioners sugar
  • Rum, Kirsch, or Cognac – optional but adds tons of flavor. You can replace it with an extra teaspoon of vanilla.
  • Whipping cream – Chilled heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract
ingredients for a custard flan dessert with sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, butter, flour, milk and cherries

Variations

You can swap cherries for whatever fruit is in season, but avoid overly juicy fruit such as citrus. Try these substitutions:

  • Plums (or even prunes)
  • Pears
  • Apricots + Raspberries
  • Apples + Apples
  • Blackberries or blueberries

How to Make Cherry Clafoutis

Once you pit the cherries, cherry clafoutis takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and the oven does the rest.

  • Prepare the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F, butter the baking dish, and pit the cherries. Spread the pitted cherries in one layer on the bottom of a generously buttered dish.
how to pit cherries into a red bowl
  1. Blend the batter ingredients (milk, sugar, eggs, optional rum, vanilla extract, flour, and salt) in a blender on high speed for 1 minute. It will be foamy on top.
Step by step how to mix dessert batter in a blender with sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla
  1. Pour the batter over the cherries and jostle the dish to be sure the batter gets in all the nooks and crannies.
How to pour batter over fruit for custardy cherry clafoutis dessert
  1. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick to be sure it’s finished cooking. Cool for 20 minutes, dust with powdered sugar and serve with homemade whipped cream.
classic cherry clafoutis puffed in a red pie dish

How to Tell When Clafoutis is Cooked?

You’ll know the clafouti is done when the edges are set, the top is puffed and golden, and the center wobbles when you jolt the pan. When it’s done, a toothpick should come out clean of any wet batter, but poke the top in a few spots to ensure you aren’t hitting a cherry.

A slice of cherry custard pie on a plate with a dollop of whipped cream

Can I Cook Cherry Clafoutis in a Pan?

We used a deep 9” pie dish, but this recipe bakes easily in any well-greased, oven-safe 7 to 8 cup baking dish or even a 10” cast iron pan. Keep in mind if you are using a wider dish, Clafoutis may bake faster since the custard will be thinner.

Make-Ahead

We love to eat Cherry Clafoutis fresh and still a little warm from the oven, but it does keep well. Because of the egg base, it should be refrigerated as soon as it cools.

  • To Refrigerate: Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days
  • To Reheat: Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes or the microwave for 20 seconds, or until warm, or enjoy it cold.
French custard dessert in a red dish with fresh fruit

If you love cherries and French desserts, you’ll fall in love with cherry clafoutis like I did! I’ve already added it to our list of favorites when sweet cherries are in season, along with Cherry Pie and Cherry Sauce.

More Cherry Recipes

Cherries are one of my favorite fruits to cook with! Once you try this cherry clafoutis recipe, put these other cherry recipes on your to-do list.

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Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

4.87 from 15 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
Cherry Clafoutis in a red dish with powdered sugar
This Cherry Clafoutis is a rustic French dessert that has a custard filling studded with sweet juicy cherries. You can use fresh or frozen-thawed cherries or even substitute the fruit – see the notes below for inspiration
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6 servings
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, to grease the pan
  • 3 cups sweet cherries, (1 lb before pitting), stemmed and pitted
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tbsp rum, kirsch or Cognac, optional, or add an extra 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
  • Confectioners sugar for dusting

Whipped Cream Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 ̊F with a rack in the center of the oven. Generously grease the bottom and sides of your 9-inch pie pan (*see note 1) with 1 Tbsp butter. Pit the cherries with a cherry pitter. Add cherries to the buttered pan and spread out evenly.
  • In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients: milk, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, rum (if using), vanilla, flour and salt. Blend on high speed for 1 minute.
  • Pour the batter over the cherries and give the pan a jolt to make sure the batter fills in around the cherries properly.
  • Bake at 350 ̊F for about 50-55 minutes or until it is puffed and browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes then serve dusted with powdered sugar. Once it’s plated, serve with generous dollops of whipped cream if desired.

How to Make Whipped Cream:

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine cream, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium/high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.

Notes

(1) Options for baking: Deep 9” pie pan, or other oven-safe 7-8 cup baking dish, or 10” cast iron pan
(2) Variations: you can replace the cherries with a different fruit that is in season such as:
  • Plums (or even prunes)
  • Pears
  • Apricots + Raspberries
  • Apples + Apples
  • Blueberries or blueberries

Nutrition Per Serving

346kcal Calories36g Carbs7g Protein20g Fat12g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat5g Monounsaturated Fat0.1g Trans Fat137mg Cholesterol108mg Sodium233mg Potassium1g Fiber24g Sugar1487IU Vitamin A5mg Vitamin C99mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Cherry Clafoutis Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
346
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
20
g
31
%
Saturated Fat
 
12
g
75
%
Trans Fat
 
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Cholesterol
 
137
mg
46
%
Sodium
 
108
mg
5
%
Potassium
 
233
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
 
36
g
12
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
24
g
27
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
1487
IU
30
%
Vitamin C
 
5
mg
6
%
Calcium
 
99
mg
10
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: cherry clafoutis, cherry clafoutis recipe
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 346
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Good Things

I have such lovely memories of our trip to Paris this spring. In case you missed it, I saved all of my Paris highlights at the top of my Instagram profile.

It was the first time my husband and I traveled to Europe, and I think I ate my weight in French pastries, baguettes, and BUTTAH. (Our entire group was smitten with French butter!).

What is your favorite place to travel for food? I’m already dreaming about my next trip, which I hope will be to Italy!

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.87 from 15 votes

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Jamie Birchfield
    July 8, 2024

    Oh my gosh, this is so delicious! My husband said this was top tier! And so easy to make! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  • Vicky
    June 29, 2024

    Can I use a plant-based milk instead of the regular milk in the recipe? My son would love this, but he has a milk allergy.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 29, 2024

      Hi Vicky! Yes- see my note above, you can use any milk, even almond.

      Reply

  • Dee
    June 24, 2024

    I made this yummy dessert on Saturday.It was meant for a pot luck but never quite made it out of house.It was superb and so quick to make.I had pitted a bag of cherries the day before to save time.I did add 2 tbsp of Amaretto which really enhanced the flavour.This recipe is a keeper.Thank You!

    Reply

  • Donna
    June 22, 2024

    We will definitely be making this again! So quick and easy – even with pitting the cherries. I made it in a 10 inch cast iron pan and it came out perfest. Delicious!

    Reply

  • Deborah
    June 16, 2024

    My five stars are for how perfectly it baked. I wish I could attach a photo – it’s perfect. I’m traveling tomorrow so I baked this up to take to my son’s home. They had their first child a few weeks ago and Nonna always brings meals. (I’ll buy a can of whipped cream along the way.) My home smells delightfully French! Can’t wait to taste this!

    Reply

  • Joan Kromolicki (home)
    June 15, 2024

    Can I use GF flour!! I have two grandsons with celiac disease, but I know they would love this!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 15, 2024

      Hi Joan! I have not tested GF flour but I think it would be fine. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.

      Reply

  • Paula
    June 15, 2024

    Made this and everyone loved it! Looked just like the picture in the recipe. I was glad I had your picture as it does look kind of crumbly when done. But really good.

    Reply

  • Steven
    June 13, 2024

    OH! LA! LA! I am going to make this for my Father’s Day Treat to myself! I can’t wait! O know this is going to be great! I can taste it with my eyes! This recipe is a Winner! Winner!! Winner!!! Thanks Natasha!
    I’ll also be thinking about my French-Canadian 2nd great grandfather (Born in 1832) I know he would approve, Oui!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 13, 2024

      I’m so excited for you, Steven! I hope you love it! Happy Father’s Day!

      Reply

  • Jan
    June 10, 2024

    Loved that this recipe was so easy ….the family loved it …didn’t even get time to take a photo of it…Will try strawberries next time. Thank you Natasha for the recipe…

    Reply

  • Pat
    June 9, 2024

    I had a cup of cherries that needed to be eaten of used in baking. The clafouti recipe arrived in my mailbox at the right time. Hubby said it’s a keeper, so do I, but, more fruit will be used next time…also, used my food processor instead of the blender. Thank you!

    Reply

  • Cindy
    June 9, 2024

    I just made this and now it is all gone. 😂😂 This tastes like egg tart to me. It is very simple to make. I had to bake for 60 minutes because the toothpick didn’t come out clean. Maybe next time I try using apples. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    Reply

  • Christine
    June 9, 2024

    Delicious, thanks for the recipe. I’m heading to France in September, can’t wait!
    I don’t see the link for the cherry pitter!

    Reply

  • Beth
    June 9, 2024

    Just made it and it is, no surprise, another winner. Question though. I didn’t use my homemade vanilla yet because it is nowhere near as dark as yours. Mine is 4.5 months in the jar. May I ask how long yours has been “brewing” so I can get an idea of when it will look like yours? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 10, 2024

      I’m so happy you loved it, Beth! I typically let mine brew for about two months.

      Reply

  • Janice Godfrey
    June 8, 2024

    This looks wonderful, I can’t wait to try it. Now I am off to the grocery store to buy cherries. Love your recipes!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 8, 2024

      I hope you love it, Janice!

      Reply

  • Cynthia
    June 8, 2024

    Natasha, can this recipe be doubled and baked in individual ramekins for a crowd?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 8, 2024

      Hi Cynthia, while I haven’t tested that, I have seen it done, I imagine with a few adjustments that will work great.

      Reply

    • Robert
      June 8, 2024

      Hello. I tried that and found the best way is to layer your fruit in the ramekins as you would in the recipe. The batter can be doubled but you need to pour the batter into the ramekins and bake. Otherwise if you don’t add the fruit to the ramekins, you end up with uneven distribution of fruit in each ramekin.

      Reply

  • Rachel
    June 8, 2024

    If I don’t have a blender can I use my kitchen aide or an emersion blender? Thank you!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 10, 2024

      Hi Rachel. I believe an immersion blender will work fine. I hope you love this recipe.

      Reply

  • Marilyn Smith
    June 7, 2024

    Natasha, this and Creme Brûlée are my favorite desserts. I make this every year in cherry season but I use stevia as I am diabetic. We were just on a long cruise and I asked for Creme Brulee without the carmaelized sugar on it. They accommodated me and it still was delicious. Love all your recipe but have learned how to adjust them for me. Love you cookbook too! Glad you enjoyed Palm Springs. Have lived here for almost 60 years.

    Reply

  • Kristyn
    June 7, 2024

    This is the most heavenly dessert!! I love the cherry chunks & flavor! It really is super easy!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 7, 2024

      I think that is the best way to describe this! I’m so glad you loved it.

      Reply

  • Grace K
    June 7, 2024

    We just had some fresh cherries delivered from our CSA and used them to make this! A new favorite!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 7, 2024

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Grace!

      Reply

  • Ella
    June 7, 2024

    This was absolutely delightful! The cherries paired perfectly with the creamy custard, and a splash of Cognac added a nice touch. My family loved it, especially with whipped cream!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 7, 2024

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Ella!

      Reply

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