Cherry Clafoutis

Cherry Clafoutis is a surprisingly easy yet elegant french dessert that everyone is going to love! This custard-like base is studded with sweet pitted cherries and flavored with vanilla and almond, so scrumptious!

Cherries are a delightfully sweet fruit, whether they are canned or fresh. Cherries are such a fun fruit for desserts, try some of these tried and true, whether canned or fresh, Bars, Brownies, and Crumb Bars.

Cherry Clafoutis in a white dish baked and ready to eat.

What is Cherry Clafoutis?

Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced klah-foo-TEE) is a french dessert that is still one of it’s most famous and favorites. The name is fancy, it looks like you slaved all day, but it could not be any easier! I love desserts that are deceptive like that, make any inconvenience worth it. If you have never had a cherry clafoutis, now is the time to try it, especially during cherry season! This is one of the best ways you can use up any extra cherries you may have on hand.

Clafoutis can be served as a dessert or for a brunch, and I have even seen it served for breakfast. No judgment here, it is not much different from my Cherry Almond Cream Cheese Breakfast Braid or this Incredible Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake. The batter is similar to a crepe batter where it has an egg-dominated consistency. It will bake up into a luscious custard-like texture that is perfect for cradling those sweet cherries.

Ingredients for Cherry Clafoutis

With just a bit of flour the batter will be similar to a crepe batter, it won’t be overly thick or thin. For exact measurements for cherry clafoutis, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom.

Eggs: Use Large eggs not medium and have them at room temperature for easier mixing.
Sugar: White sugar adds the sweetness, moisture, and tenderness of the custard-like base.
Salt: This will balance the sweetness.
Milk: Helps the batter cook up to be custard-like instead of cake-like.
Vanilla extract: Sweet flavor that pairs beautifully with cherries.
Almond extract: Orginal clafoutis kept the pits in the cherries that give off an almond flavor, we’ll use this instead.
Unsalted butter melted: Everything is better with butter and the french cook a lot with it. It’s a must.
All-purpose flour: This will provide the structure for the custard that will cradle the cherries.
Sweet cherries pitted and halved: You will definitely want to pit the cherries so you do not break a tooth!
Powdered sugar for dusting: This helps give the clafoutis a pretty look.

How to Make This French Cherry Clafoutis

Using a blender makes this clafoutis extremely easy to put together.

Blend it all Up: In a blender, combine eggs, sugar, salt, milk, and both extracts. Blend until combined. Add in the flour and blend again for about 30 seconds until combined. Add in the melted butter and pulse the blender a couple of times to mix it in.
Place and Pour: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place the cherries on top of the batter. You can arrange them however you prefer.
Cook and Cool: Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until fully set and a knife comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes.
Enjoy: You may serve this warm or cold. Dust with powdered sugar and, if desired, serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Mixing the ingredients, pouring them into a pan and adding the cherries.

Tips for the Best Cherry Clafoutis

Family and friends are going to be blown away by this light summertime dessert!

Cherries: Originally the cherries used were unpitted. You will want to pit them to avoid unnecessary dentist bills. Halving them helps distribute them in a more decorative pattern, but it is optional. You can leave them whole if you desire.
No cherry pitter, no problem: If you don’t have a cherry pitter, using a metal straw works great! Poke the bottom of the cherry with the straw and the pit will pop out the top.
Blend it: I like to blend this up because it makes it so much easier on me, but this will work with a whisk just as well too.
Different Fruits: This recipe will work magically just as well with other fruits. Try it with plums, apricots, raspberries, and blackberries. You will want to stay away from fruit that gives off a lot of juice when cooked.
Bake it small: You can make individualized clafoutis by dividing the batter and cherries among ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes and then check.
How you know it’s done: Because this is like a custard, more than a cake, the consistency should have a bit of a wobble to it. And a knife or toothpick will come out mostly clean.

Serving and Storing Your Cherry Clafoutis

Serve: The hardest part about the Cherry clafoutis is waiting for it to cool slightly and set up. This will take about 15 minutes or so. Once cooled cover with powdered sugar for a decorative look. You can serve this warm or cold, but I prefer warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. Others like it better at room temperature or cold. It is a matter of preference.
Store: Because this has egg in it, you will need to tightly cover it and keep it in the fridge. It will stay for up to 4 days. This can be made ahead of time up to a day in advance.
Reheat: If you desire to serve it warm, you can microwave it or place it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so.