Skip to content
FriendsPantry

French

Clafoutis aux cerises

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Whole black cherries baked in a soft, flan-like batter and dusted with sugar. A simple summer dessert from the Limousin.

Clafoutis aux cerises is a French dessert from France, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with cherries and egg. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
A freshly baked cherry clafoutis in a glass dish inside an oven, capturing the essence of homemade desserts.
Photo: elle batool / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
228

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Butter (opens in a new tab) a 24 cm baking dish (opens in a new tab) and scatter the cherries (opens in a new tab) over the base.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt until frothy, whisk in the flour, then gradually the milk (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab) to a smooth, thin batter.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Pour the batter over the cherries (opens in a new tab) and bake until puffed, golden and just set in the centre.

  4. Step 4

    Cool for 15 minutes – it will sink a little – and dust with powdered sugar (opens in a new tab). Serve warm or at room temperature.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Limousin, France · Well documentedMore food from France
    Dish
    Dessert · Snack · Desserts
    Cooking method
    Oven-baked
    Taste
    sweet, fruity, creamy
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Cherries · Egg · Butter · Sugar · All-purpose flour · Milk
    Techniques
    Baking

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    228 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 186 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 12%
    • Carbohydrate 64%
    • Fat 24%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy228 kcal122 kcal
    Protein6.7 g3.6 g
    Carbohydrate37 g19.9 g
    Net carbohydrate35 g18.8 g
    Sugars26.8 g14.4 g
    Added sugars13.3 g7.2 g
    Fibre2 g1.1 g
    Fat6.3 g3.4 g
    Saturated fat3.1 g1.6 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol104 mg56 mg
    Sodium100 mg54 mg
    Salt equivalent0.2 g0.1 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    300 mg
    Calcium
    85 mg
    Iron
    1.2 mg
    Magnesium
    20 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    83 µg
    Vitamin C
    6 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.5 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    47 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: icing sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Storage

    • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

    Variations

    • Flaugnarde: The same batter baked with apples, pears or plums instead of cherries.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

      Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

    2. Bake · about 40 min at 180 °C

      Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

    3. Cool · about 15 min

      Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

    4. Start to finish: about 1 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Gummy or wet crumb

      Likely causes

      • Under-baked
      • Sliced while hot
      • Hydration too high for the flour

      What to do

      • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
      • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
      • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
    • Collapsed or sunken middle

      Likely causes

      • Oven door opened too early
      • Too much leavening or sugar
      • Under-baked centre
      • Over-proofed yeast dough

      What to do

      • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
      • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
      • Test the centre before removing
      • Proof less
    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Cracked or domed top

      Likely causes

      • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
      • Too much leavening
      • Overmixed batter

      What to do

      • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
      • Use the exact leavening amount
      • Fold just until combined
    • Big holes or tunnels

      Likely causes

      • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
      • Air trapped while shaping bread
      • Uneven proof

      What to do

      • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
      • Degas gently and shape tightly
      • Proof covered in an even, warm place
    • Dry or crumbly

      Likely causes

      • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
      • Over-baked
      • Too little fat or sugar

      What to do

      • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
      • Check 5 minutes early
      • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like