The best cherry clafoutis
Cherry clafoutis is the iconic French dessert of the month of June. As soon as the cherries reappear on the market stalls, we hasten to take the opportunity to make a clafoutis. This is a super easy and very quick dessert to make. it’s very appealing and not expensive at all.
However, it is not always easy to find the right recipe with a perfect texture, melting, tasty and not too firm. This clafoutis is moist and perfect!
Ladurée’s cherry clafoutis can be served after having sprinkled on top some powdered sugar. For added indulgence, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a pot of custard.
| If you’ve never made cherry clafoutis, this dessert is typically French, Originating from the Limousin region of France It is made up of fresh cherries that are covered with a mixture like “crepes” batter. After baking, you get a custard-like flan texture. It is usually baked in a Pyrex or ceramic baking dish, in which it is also served. |
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Cherry clafoutis: with or without pits?
Just like the famous “pain au chocolat” vs “chocolatine” debate, here the question is whether to make clafoutis with pitted or unpitted cherries.
It’s often recommended to leave the pits in, as this prevents the cherry juice from leaking out. When the juice escapes, it soaks into the custard, and you lose that juicy burst in the mouth that you get with unpitted cherries.
When you’re serving family, leaving the pits in is fine. But when entertaining guests, it’s not exactly elegant to have them spitting out cherry pits.
I’ve tried this clafoutis both with and without pits, and if you use a reasonable amount of cherries (around 500-750 g for about one liter of liquid), the result is pretty much the same.
If you want to use more cherries and prefer them pitted, I recommend trying the cherry and almond clafoutis recipe instead.
The best clafoutis
You can make this clafoutis with other fruits, but in that case, the name changes. Clafoutis is traditionally made only with cherries, usually with pits, but it can also be made without them.
When other fruits are used (such as apples, pears, plums, or blueberries), the dessert is called a flaugnarde or flognarde. This is also a traditional dessert from the Limousin region, just like clafoutis, and it uses the same type of batter.
I’ll be sharing my recipe for blueberry flognarde soon, it’s absolutely delicious. Thanks to this variation, you can enjoy the comforting taste and texture of clafoutis all year round by simply adapting it to seasonal fruits.
Video Recipe
Ingredients :
NB : You’ll find the printable recipe card at the end of the article.
I used an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan that’s about 2.5 inches (6 cm) high, but Ladurée recommends using a 9-9.5 inch (22-24 cm) pan. I like my clafoutis to be tall and generous.
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g cornstarch
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- A pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 lemon (or replace with vanilla extract or 1 packet of vanilla sugar, which should be deducted from the total sugar amount)
- 300 ml whole milk
- 300 ml heavy cream (you can use only milk, but cream makes it creamier)
- 500 g cherries
Preparation steps :
Preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F) using conventional heat (no fan).
Butter and flour the pan. You can replace the flour with brown sugar for a slightly caramelized finish.
Wash the cherries, then dry them thoroughly.
Sift the flour and cornstarch, then add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the lemon zest.
Mix everything together, then make a well in the center and add the whole eggs and egg yolks. Stir with a whisk gently, without beating vigorously, to avoid incorporating too much air.
Next, add the heavy cream and milk, and mix again until smooth. Add the vanilla extract at this stage if you’re using it.
Place the cherries in the prepared pan, then gently pour the clafoutis batter over them.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
The clafoutis will puff up during baking, like a cheesecake, then slightly deflate as it cools, this is completely normal.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding. It can be enjoyed warm or cold and retains its perfect texture even two days later.
You can also see the apricot clafoutis
Easy French cherry clafoutis ( the best Ladurée's recipe )
INGREDIENTS
I used an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan that’s about 2.5 inches (6 cm) high, but Ladurée recommends using a 9–9.5 inch (22–24 cm) pan. I like my clafoutis to be tall and generous.
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g cornstarch
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- A pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 lemon or replace with vanilla extract or 1 packet of vanilla sugar, which should be deducted from the total sugar amount
- 300 ml whole milk
- 300 ml heavy cream you can use only milk, but cream makes it creamier
- 500 g cherries
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F) using conventional heat (no fan).
- Butter and flour the pan. You can replace the flour with brown sugar for a slightly caramelized finish.
- Wash the cherries, then dry them thoroughly.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch, then add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the lemon zest.
- Mix everything together, then make a well in the center and add the whole eggs and egg yolks. Stir with a whisk gently, without beating vigorously, to avoid incorporating too much air.
- Next, add the heavy cream and milk, and mix again until smooth. Add the vanilla extract at this stage if you're using it.
- Place the cherries in the prepared pan, then gently pour the clafoutis batter over them.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.
- The clafoutis will puff up during baking, like a cheesecake, then slightly deflate as it cools, this is completely normal.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before unmolding. It can be enjoyed warm or cold and retains its perfect texture even two days later.