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.
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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
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.
- 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.
- Pour the batter over the cherries and jostle the dish to be sure the batter gets in all the nooks and crannies.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- Sweet Cherry Buns
- Cherry Pierogi
- Cherry Crumble
- Black Forest Cake
- Cherry Smoothies
- Drunken Cherry Chocolate Cake
- Cherry Upside Down Cake
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Cherry Clafoutis Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp Powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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
- Plums (or even prunes)
- Pears
- Apricots + Raspberries
- Apples + Apples
- Blueberries or blueberries
Nutrition Per Serving
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!
Oh my gosh, this is so delicious! My husband said this was top tier! And so easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
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.
Hi Vicky! Yes- see my note above, you can use any milk, even almond.
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!
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!
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!
Can I use GF flour!! I have two grandsons with celiac disease, but I know they would love this!
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.
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.
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!
I’m so excited for you, Steven! I hope you love it! Happy Father’s Day!
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…
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!
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.
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!
Hi Christine, how fun that you get to visit France! Sorry I forgot to include the link. Here is the Cherry pitter by OXO brand.
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!
I’m so happy you loved it, Beth! I typically let mine brew for about two months.
This looks wonderful, I can’t wait to try it. Now I am off to the grocery store to buy cherries. Love your recipes!
I hope you love it, Janice!
Natasha, can this recipe be doubled and baked in individual ramekins for a crowd?
Hi Cynthia, while I haven’t tested that, I have seen it done, I imagine with a few adjustments that will work great.
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.
If I don’t have a blender can I use my kitchen aide or an emersion blender? Thank you!
Hi Rachel. I believe an immersion blender will work fine. I hope you love this recipe.
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.
This is the most heavenly dessert!! I love the cherry chunks & flavor! It really is super easy!
I think that is the best way to describe this! I’m so glad you loved it.
We just had some fresh cherries delivered from our CSA and used them to make this! A new favorite!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Grace!
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!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Ella!