Have you tried the classic French dessert called clafoutis? (It’s pronounced klah-foo-tee.) If not, please let me introduce you to this delightful and simple treat. Clafoutis is a delicious cross between a cake and a custard with a crackled top and luscious, fruit-studded interior. It’s sweet but not too sweet, making it the perfect ending to a lovely summer supper.
Clafoutis is typically baked with cherries, but you’ll see that I used berries here, and you’ll find more options below. My three-year-0ld loves clafoutis. She’s been asking for more “cherry cake” since last summer, and it’s about time we made more.
I made clafoutis over and over again last summer until I got the proportions of this recipe just right (nine times, to be exact). Each attempt was tasty, but the recipe I’m sharing today is perfection. I had to find the right balance between the amounts of flour, sugar, liquid and eggs to yield a silky interior that’s full of flavor but not too eggy or wet. Here it is!
How to Make Clafoutis
Clafoutis is so easy and fun to make. The batter reminds me of crepes or my Blender Oatmeal Pancakes because it comes together in 30 seconds in the blender.
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a preview:
- Melt butter in a cast iron skillet or pie pan.
- Arrange fruit on top of the melted butter.
- In a blender, combine some basic ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and flour.
- Pour the batter over the fruit, then sprinkle the top with a little extra sugar for a fun crackly effect.
- Bake, then serve.
Watch How to Make Clafoutis
Fruity Clafoutis Variations
Change up your clafoutis with the seasons. Use berries in the spring. Choose cherries, berries, peaches or plums during the summer. In the fall and winter, try pears or apples.
Technically, a clafoutis made with any fruit other than dark cherries is called a flaugnarde, but if Julia Child can use berries and call it a clafoutis, I think we can, too.
Cherry Clafoutis
Dark cherry clafoutis is the most classic option, and it’s lovely. Some recipes suggest leaving the pits in the cherries for some natural almond extract flavor, but I would worry about my guests biting into a pit. I preferred the cherries pitted and halved, so I got some cherries in every bite.
Berry Clafoutis: Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries
My personal favorite! Use one type of berry or a mix of two or more. For these photos, I used a beautiful combination of raspberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries. If you’re using strawberries or particularly large blackberries, slice them into bite-sized pieces before using.
Peach or Plum Clafoutis
Ripe, thinly sliced peaches or plums would be stellar in clafoutis (or a combination—I can’t wait to try it this summer). You could also use nectarines or apricots in place of peaches. You’ll need about 1 pound of fruit (before pitting) or 3/4 pound once sliced.
Apple or Pear Clafoutis
Slice your apples very thinly, about 1/8-inch wide, so they can bake with the cake. Ripe pears will work nicely as well. Arrange them in a fan-like pattern (carefully, watch out for the hot butter) for a beautiful effect. You could add a handful of fresh cranberries for a festive treat.
More Simple Desserts to Make
If you enjoy this clafoutis, check out a few more of my favorite desserts:
Please let me know how your clafoutis turns out in the comments! I hope it becomes your go-to summertime dessert, too.
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Clafoutis
This clafoutis recipe is simply the best! You can make it with berries (my favorite), cherries (my daughter’s favorite), or any of the fruity variations provided in the post. Recipe yields one 10-inch clafoutis, enough for 8 slices.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat (or pour melted butter into a 9.5-inch glass pie plate). Gently swirl the skillet or pie plate so the butter coats the sides of the pan. Remove the skillet from the heat and place the fruit in an even layer across the base of the pan (watch out for hot butter splatters). Set it aside.
- In a blender, combine the milk, cream, ⅓ cup sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and flour. Blend at medium speed until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds, pausing to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Pour the batter over the fruit. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar on top.
- Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes (I usually bake for 45 minutes in cast iron or closer to 50 minutes in a pie plate), until the top is golden and puffed. Let it cool to a safe temperature before serving—it’s lovely warm, though I like it even more at room temperature (expect it to deflate as it cools), or even chilled. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe created with references to David Lebovitz, Once Upon a Chef and The New York Times.
*Milk notes: Any milk will do in place of almond milk. You can substitute whole milk for the milk and heavy cream (use 1 ¼ cup total) for a similar fat content, but if you plan to make whipped cream, you’ll need the heavy cream anyway.
**Flour notes: I generally try to bake with whole grain flours, but this recipe doesn’t call for much, and I prefer the texture and flavor of the all-purpose here since it lets the other flavors shine. Whole wheat pastry flour worked fine with the berries, but the cherries sunk into the batter rather than floating on top when I used it. I haven’t tried this recipe with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, but suspect it would work well.
Nutrition
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