Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a French baked dessert of fruit, classically cherries, set in a thin pancake-like batter. See the ratio, the bake time and the cues.
Also called Clafouti, Cherry clafoutis.
Clafoutis is a simple French dessert. You put fruit in a buttered dish, pour a thin batter of eggs, milk, sugar and a little flour over it, and bake it. The result is somewhere between a custard and a thick pancake. The classic fruit is black cherries.
How to do it
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a 23 cm (9 inch) baking dish and dust it with sugar.
- Spread about 500 g (1 lb) of cherries in the dish. Traditionally they are not pitted, which adds a light almond flavor. Pitting is safer for guests.
- Whisk 3 eggs with 75 g (⅓ cup) sugar, 60 g (½ cup) flour, a pinch of salt, and 250 ml (1 cup) milk until smooth. Add vanilla if you like.
- Pour the batter over the fruit.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
- Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar (icing sugar in the UK) and serve warm or at room temperature.
How to tell it is done
The top is puffed and golden brown, and the edges pull away from the dish. The center is set: it may wobble a little as a whole but does not ripple like liquid. Use the jiggle test, or insert a knife in the middle; it should come out clean.
Common mistakes
- Too much flour. The clafoutis turns bready instead of tender.
- Underbaking. A wet center tastes of raw egg.
- Expecting it to stay puffed. It sinks as it cools. That is normal.
- Using very juicy fruit without draining it. The batter turns watery.
In recipes
Strictly, clafoutis is made with cherries. With other fruit such as plums, pears or apricots, the French call it flaugnarde, but most recipes still say clafoutis. A savory clafoutis uses vegetables and cheese with no sugar.
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Where it comes from
Clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of central France.
Clafoutis recipes
2 recipes from the sites we collect.
Related terms
- PitTo pit is to take the hard stone out of fruit such as cherries, olives, peaches, plums, dates and avocados, using a knife, a pitter or your fingers.
- Jiggle testThe jiggle test checks if a custard, cheesecake or pie is baked by gently shaking it. The edges should be set while the center wobbles slightly.
- Golden brownGolden brown is the deep, even gold color food turns as it browns in the oven or pan. It signals flavor from browning and that baked goods are cooked.
- SetIn recipes, set means a liquid has firmed into a solid that holds its shape, as with custard, jam, jelly, eggs and chocolate. Here is how to check it.
- CrumbleA crumble is baked fruit under a sandy topping of flour, butter and sugar. Get the topping ratio, the bake time and how to keep it crisp.
- GaletteA galette is a free-form tart with pastry folded over a fruit or savory filling, no tart pan needed. It is also a Breton buckwheat crêpe. See both here.