Clafoutis is an egg custard fruit tart of French origins, specifically from the southwester region of Limousin.
But isn’t this an Italian food blog, you might ask? Well, yes, but clafoutis has become quite popular in Italy. Like so many Italian recipes, clafoutis is both easy to make and absolutely delicious, qualities which have endeared it to Italian cooks, earning it a honorary place in the Italian repertoire. Heck, there are even recipes for clafoutis in the venerable Il Cucchiaio d’Argento cookbook and in La Cucina Italiana.
To make clafoutis, you just mix up a simple batter of flour, eggs, milk and sugar and pour it over fruit placed in a baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven until the mixture is cooked through and lightly browned on top, and voilà! you’ll have a lovely dessert of fruit enrobed in a flan-like egg custard.
I like to make clafoutis with all sorts of fruit, but in the summer there’s no better choice than the classic one, with cherries. In the autumn and winter, you can go with apples or pears, and in the spring strawberries. There are even savory clafoutis to try. Once you’ve mastered this basic recipe, the only limit is your imagination.
Ingredients
- 500g (1 lb) cherries, pitted (or not if you want to be traditional)
To make the clafoutis batter:
- 3 eggs
- 200ml (7 fl oz) milk
- 100g (3-1/2 oz) sugar, or more or less depending on your taste
- 100g (3-1/2 oz) flour (preferably pastry flour or “00” flour)
- A tiny pinch of salt
For baking:
- A knob of butter
For the topping:
- Powdered (aka confectioner’s) sugar, q.b.
Directions
Start by pitting the cherries. You can cut them in half or leave them whole, as you prefer.
Whisk together the batter ingredients until smooth. Start with eggs, milk and sugar, then adding the flour bit by bit. You can do this by hand, using a mixing bowl and a whisk, or in the blender.
Lay the cherries in the bottom of a well-buttered round baking dish. They should cover the bottom entirely.
Now pour the batter gently over the cherries, taking care not to displace them.
Bake in a moderate (180C/350F) oven for until cooked through and ever so slightly golden on top, usually about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. The batter will puff up considerably while baking, then settled down as it cools.
Serve your clafoutis slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar.
Notes
The recipe for cafoutis is simplicity itself. The main trick is to bake it just enough to cook through without overcooking it, which is why I like to bake it in a moderate oven. That said, while an overcooked clafoutis may lack delicacy, it’s not the end of the world by any means. Your clafoutis will still be delicious.
You also don’t want your clafoutis to be too thick, or it will take too long to cook through, making for an overcooked, tough exterior. A thicker clafoutis is also liable to crack, as shown in the pictures in this post. This doesn’t affect its flavor, but if you’re a stickler for looks, go for a clafoutis where the batter just barely covers the cherries. A 26cm (10 in) pie plate or even better a quiche dish should work well for these measurements.
Variations
The measurements among clafoutis recipes can vary quite a bit from recipe to recipe. The amount of cherries can range anywhere from 300g (10 oz) to 700g (1-1/2 lbs) according to taste and the size of your baking pan. (I just use enough to cover the bottom of my dish, and then add some more if I think it needs it.) Some recipes use more eggs and less flour, which results in a more eggy and delicate custard. The amount of sugar ranges from as little as 50g (7 oz) to as much as 100g (3-1/2 oz), depending on your sweet tooth. Some recipes, notably that of the Cucchiaio d’Argento, use a mixture of heavy cream and milk for a richer result. Some call for more liquid, as much as 300ml (10 fl oz). Long story short, feel free to play around until you get the taste and texture that appeals best to you.
Some recipes for clafoutis call for some additional flavorings in the batter, like brandy or rum, as well as vanilla extract or grated lemon or orange zest. Personally I like the purity of this plain batter which lets the fine taste of the fruit shine through without distraction.
Some recipes you bake at a slightly higher temp (190C/375F) for slightly less time, say 20-25 minutes.
They say that traditionally a cherry clafoutis is made with unpitted cherries. The pits are said to lend a pleasant slight bitterness to the filling. Obviously you spit them out as you eat. That said, stickler for traditional recipes that I am, and lover of easy recipes, I actually prefer to pit my cherries for easier eating.
Other clafoutis
As mentioned at the top, clafoutis will work with all sorts of fruits. In the autumn and winter, I enjoy apple and pear clafoutis, for example. In the spring strawberries or a mix of berries. And so on.
The Italians have also devised recipes for savory clafoutis made with vegetable rather than fruit. Here you obviously omit the sugar and add more salt and often grated cheese. Typical fillings include cherry tomatoes, fried eggplant or zucchini, or sautéed onions. As with a sweet clafoutis, you can let your imagination run wild.
Post scriptum
A quick shout out to reader “Chiaroscuro” for suggesting this post!
Clafoutis di ciligie
Ingredients
- 500 g 1 lb cherries, pitted (or not if you want to be traditional)
To make the batter:
- 3 eggs
- 200 ml 7 fl oz milk
- 100 g 3-1/2 oz sugar, or more or less depending on your taste
- 100 g 3-1/2 oz flour (preferably pastry flour or “00” flour)
- A tiny pinch of salt
For baking:
- A knob of butter
For the topping:
- Powdered aka confectioner’s sugar, q.b.
Instructions
- Start by pitting the cherries. You can cut them in half or leave them whole, as you prefer.
- Whisk together the batter ingredients until smooth. Start with eggs, milk and sugar, then adding the flour bit by bit. You can do this by hand, using a mixing bowl and a whisk, or in the blender.
- Lay the cherries in the bottom of a well-buttered round baking dish. They should cover the bottom entirely.
- Now pour the batter gently over the cherries, taking care not to displace them.
- Bake in a moderate (180C/350F) oven for until cooked through and ever so slightly golden on top, usually about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. The batter will puff up considerably while baking, then settled down as it cools.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar.
35 Comments on “Clafoutis di ciligie (Cherry Clafoutis)”
I love how easy you’ve made this clafoutis to replicate. Your step-by-step instructions are perfect and I love how beautifully the finished clafoutis looks. It really is such a fabulous treat!
Thanks for sharing this gem, it’s a dessert that truly celebrates the best of both French and Italian culinary traditions. 🍒🥧
I love clafoutis Frank and haven’t had it in such a long time. Must try your recipe it looks and sounds amazing.
I rarely bake in the summer, but when it happens, that must be something easy and fruity like a crumble or crisp (okay, and occasionally shortbread with summer flavours). Clafoutis, however, is something that I’ve tried – but it was years ago! Indeed, this is such a beautiful and versatile summer cake.
Thanks, Ben. Easy and fruity sounds like my kind of dessert! 😉
I love clafoutis. I think it’s a wonderfully to end a great meal with fresh fruit. Yours looks delicious.
Thanks so much!
I made a clafoutis once wayyy back when I was first learning how to properly bake. It’s been quite a while ago, and I’m thinking I should do it again. Thanks for the inspiration – this cherry one looks fantastic!
Thanks, David. Definitely worth brushing off this one. It’s a winner.
We tried the recipe as written but the clafoutis is improved (at least to us) by the addition of vanilla. The suggestion to use almond flour is excellent, we’ll try it next time.
I can still remember the first time I had a clafoutis, it was cherry and still slightly warm from the oven. Heaven!
Heaven indeed.
Thanks Frank! I love clafoutis — and cherries are my favorite. Like you, I go non-traditional and pit the cherries! No need for broken teeth. Friends made their apple clafoutis for me last autumn and I was pretty smitten. A definite second to cherries.
Great minds think alike… 🙂
It is such a pleasure to see this clafoutis! We even enjoy pineapple and forest berries one. And this shows, again and again, how simple food is the best!
So true! And now I want to try a pineapple clafoutis. Sounds lovely and I have a pineapple maven in the house.
Oh yes clafoutis is a great dessert esp. with cherries! I would definitely pit the fruit tho, as i don’t want to choke my guests! Hehehehe …
My thoughts exactly… 😉
Clafoutis is such a great dessert, especially when it is made with cherries. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! 🙂
We had an incredible cherry season this year. I made this three times – twice with big dark red cherries, and once with the yellow-red Ranier cherries. It’s sooo good! To make the job a little easier I got a cherry pitter on Amazon. I’m not much of a baker (except for torte salate) but this is super easy to make.
Only difference with my recipe is I used 2/3s whole milk, and 1/3 cream, and add some vanilla extract. I got it from an Italian site – I’d never heard of it before. Like you said, there are many variations – I’ll have to try some – I like the grated lemon peel idea.
I’m not much of a baker, either. But as you said this one is really easy even for us non-bakers. And fun to play around with!
That looks like an excellent Clafoutis. It taste so good that it’s become popular all over Europe and I imagine America too. Until I was about 20, I thought it came from Wales, because Clafoutis sounds like a Welsh word or town to me – don’t tell my French friends I said that!
Ha! Love that story. 🙂
One of the favourites! Yours looks fabulous, Frank.
Thanks so much, Angie!
We made a Cherry clafoutis in Lyon during our cooking class with a Michelin Chef, it’s been a favourite ever since. I usually make it in the fall using frozen fruit. Yours looks wonderful, making me want one!
Hope you do give it a try, Eva. Nothing like a clafoutis made with fresh fruit!
Sounds delicious! When/where does the “knob of butter” appear??
You use it to butter the baking dish.
Try substituting from 50-100% of white flour with almond flour.
Almonds and cherries are wonderful together.
That’s a great way to make it gluten free, great suggestion.
Thanks, Dan! Interesting idea. May try that next time.
Hi Frank, I agree with you, cherries make the best Clafoutis! I like that they are simple, fruit forward and not too sweet. Your recipe sounds delicious!
Thanks, Barb! Hope you give it a try.