Easy Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

Clafoutis is a French dessert consisting of fruit and a soft, sweet, flan-like batter that's sprinkled with powdered sugar. If you fancy a perfectly splendid sweet treat, then get ready to make clafoutis a household favorite. Thanks to recipe developer Tricia Wheeler, you can now easily make this baked dessert in the comfort of your home. Turns out you don't have to venture to France to enjoy this simple yet appetizing recipe.

And we really mean it when we say that this fancy-sounding treat is a great entry point for home cooks interested in French pastry. "This recipe has a low level of difficulty –– it is pretty simple and delicious," Wheeler says.

Although this easy cherry clafoutis recipe does take 50 minutes to bake, the preparation time only lasts 15 minutes. And, of course, there's all that powdered sugar goodness. "It is great sprinkled with powdered sugar and can be served with whipped cream or ice cream," Wheeler says. "The type of fruit can be changed –– all kinds of berries make wonderful clafoutis, as well as, peaches." This recipe sticks with classic cherries, but feel free to experiment with new fruits once you've got the basic clafoutis down.

First, you need to gather the ingredients for this easy cherry clafoutis recipe. You'll need butter (for greasing the pan), cherries of any variety (if using frozen cherries, make sure to thaw and drain them first), large eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt. You'll also need milk, heavy whipping cream, and powdered sugar.

While cherries are used for this recipe, if you prefer to use a different type of fruit, now's the time to prepare it, whether that's defrosting some berries or slicing up some peaches. Once you've gathered these ingredients, it's time to perfect this cherry clafoutis dish.

Before you can fill your home with savory smells à la this cherry clafoutis recipe, you'll need to preheat the oven to the standard 350 F. As is typical with baking, preheating the oven while you're preparing the other ingredients will ensure the oven is up to the appropriate heat when it comes time to cook your baked goods.

Next, be sure to generously butter a 9 or 10-inch ceramic casserole-style pan. If you don't have a casserole-style pan, a pie pan will suffice. Nevertheless, coating the pan with butter is essential, as you want to make sure that your clafoutis slices release easily when you serve them up.

First, assuming you've bought whole cherries, you'll need to remove the pits and stems from the fruit. After the pits and stems are removed, place the cherries in a single layer in the prepared casserole dish or pie pan you buttered up in the previous step.

If you're not comfortable with pitting the cherries, or this is your first time doing so, a cherry pitting hack like using a straw can save you time without necessarily reaching for a single-use tool like a cherry pitter or leaving you endlessly pitting the cherries by hand (which is always an option and isn't endless — just time consuming).

In a medium-sized bowl, add the eggs and then whisk them until the whites and yolks are fully incorporated and the whole mixture is foamy. Next, add the sugar to the bowl and whisk the contents for 3 minutes, until well combined. Then, add flour, salt, and vanilla to the bowl and whisk vigorously until the batter is smooth.

Then gradually pour the milk and cream into the bowl, and, once again, whisk until the batter is blended. Yes, it's a lot of whisking, but you don't want any lumps of unincorporated flour or other ingredients to hide out in the batter. You can lightly knock the bowl against the counter to deflate any bubbles that may have arisen during this process. Finally, pour the batter over the cherries in the pan.

Get ready for a sweet cherry aroma to take over your kitchen, as it's now time to bake the clafoutis. Place the clafoutis on the middle rack of the oven. Let it bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until it's puffed up and lightly browned. To ensure it's done, you can insert a cake tester like a toothpick in the center of the clafoutis. If it comes out clean and free of batter, you're good to move on.

When the tester indicates that it's done, take the clafoutis out of the oven and let it cool in the pan. Before serving, remember to dust the clafoutis with powdered sugar. As for serving, you've got quite a few options. "The cherry clafoutis can be served warm and served after 10 minutes out of the oven, or it can cool completely and can be served at room temperature," Wheeler says. "It can also be refrigerated and served cold," making this a pretty versatile treat.