Sweet Dark Cherry Clafoutis

The season for cherries has started and what is nicer than a light and fresh dessert for a balmy evening. I bought some cherries that are dark, sweet with just the right amount of tartness. A clafoutis is a French dessert and is usually served with pits in cherries, because it is said that it releases so much more flavor, but mine is without the pits. So much easier to enjoy.

A clafoutis has the texture of part pancake, part custard as it’s quite soft and not very cake-like.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

3 cups dark sweet cherries, pitted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, I like to use a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

confectionery sugar

Dark Sweet Cherries

Rinse and drain 3 cups of cherries. This can be done in advance, as it’s best to use cherries at room temperature and if done in advance, it will also eliminate any excess moisture.

Drying off Excess Moisture

To make sure the cherries are void of any water, I like to place a nice big kitchen towel on the counter and after they have been drained, gently throw the cherries on the towel and pat any excess water away before pitting them. The cherries have enough juice and we do not want additional moisture.

Pitting Cherries

Use a cherry and olive pitter and the seeds will be removed fairly quickly. If you don’t have a pitter, not to worry, just cut the cherry in half and twist it off the seed. It may take a while, but certainly worth it.

Dusting Baking Dish with Sugar

Once the last cherry has been pitted, use 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, spreading it evenly in a baking dish that you can serve on the table. It adds such a homemade feel and your family or guests can see how beautiful the dessert looks when done. Then dust with 1 tablespoon sugar. To dust the baking dish, sprinkle the bottom of the dish with sugar and lift the pan at an angle so that the sugar coats all around the sides of the pan.

Pitted Cherries in Baking Dish

So, the dish has now been buttered and sugared, place the pitted cherries at the bottom of the baking dish.

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.

Cracking Eggs Into Mixing Bowl

Crack 3 eggs in a mixing bowl, pour in ¼ cup of sugar, add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and whisk vigorously until the mixture is well blended. 

Zesting Lemon

Then add ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 1 cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream. 

Incorporating Flour into Wet Ingredients

Once all the ingredients have been well blended, pour on top of the cherries and place in the oven.

Pouring Mixture on Top of Dark Sweet Pitted Cherries

Bake for 50 minutes. That’s all. Serves 6. Voilà! 

The clafouti should be served warm. Just before serving, dust with some confectionery sugar. Vanilla ice cream or some heavy cream goes well with it too. Enjoy.