Easy French Cherry Clafoutis (Traditional Clafoutis Recipe)

This easy cherry clafoutis is a beloved French dessert made with fresh cherries baked in a light, custardy batter. Rustic, simple, and incredibly delicious, it's one of the easiest desserts you can make at home.

You know what goes even faster than my husband driving when I'm not in the car? Cherry season.
Seriously. One minute the markets are full of cherries, and the next… they're gone. FOR A WHOLE YEAR!

Which is exactly why you cannot miss cherry season. And if you ask me, the absolute best thing you can bake with those beautiful cherries is, by far, this ridiculously good cherry clafoutis.

But if you're not familiar with French clafoutis yet, let me introduce you to this little French dessert that manages to be both incredibly simple and dangerously delicious.

Jump to:

• Cherry Clafoutis: The Classic French Dessert of Cherry Season
• The Origins of Clafoutis
• Why You'll Love This Cherry Clafoutis
• Ingredients You Will Need
• Should You Keep the Cherry Pits?
• Expert Tips for the Best Clafoutis
• Choosing the Right Baking Dish
• How to Store Cherry Clafoutis
• Ready to Make Your Own Cherry Clafoutis?
• Looking for More Dessert Ideas?
• Easy French Cherry Clafoutis (Traditional Clafoutis Recipe)

Cherry Clafoutis: The Classic French Dessert of Cherry Season

If you have ever spent time in France during late spring/early summer, you know exactly what happens when cherries arrive at the markets. Suddenly everyone remembers clafoutis. It appears on family tables, at Sunday lunches, in little village bakeries, and sometimes even at school cafeterias.
It's one of those desserts that every French person grew up eating.

And cherry season in France is short. The first cherries usually appear around late May, and the peak season runs through June and early July. 
Which means one thing:
When the cherries arrive, the clafoutis begins.

The Origins of Clafoutis

Clafoutis comes from the Limousin region in central France. The dessert appeared sometime in the 19th century, when farmers began baking fresh cherries in a simple batter made of eggs, milk, flour, and sugar.

The name comes from the Occitan word clafir, which means "to fill." And that's exactly what the recipe does: you fill a dish with fruit, pour batter over it, and bake until golden.
The texture lands somewhere between a custard and a pancake, with tender fruit baked right into the batter.

Traditionally, clafoutis is made with black cherries. In fact, technically speaking, if you make it with another fruit, it should be called a flognarde. But don't worry, the Clafoutis Police will not show up at your door if you decide to try it with raspberries, peaches, or plums.

In everyday life, most of us happily call it clafoutis anyway. You simply specify the fruit if it isn't made with cherries. For example, clafoutis aux framboises for raspberry clafoutis.
But if someone just says clafoutis in France, you can safely assume it's made with cherries. That's the original and most classic version.

Why You'll Love This Cherry Clafoutis

This is the kind of dessert that feels elegant but requires almost no effort.

• First, it is incredibly simple to make. The batter comes together in just a few minutes with basic ingredients you probably already have at home.
• Second, the texture is absolutely wonderful. Soft, lightly custardy, and filled with juicy cherries that burst while baking.
• It's also a very forgiving recipe. You don't need fancy equipment, precise technique, or decorating skills.
• And finally, it is one of those desserts that tastes just as good slightly warm as it does at room temperature the next day.

The perfect little French dessert!

Ingredients You Will Need

The ingredient list for clafoutis is beautifully simple. It's the kind of recipe you can decide to make at the last minute.

• Fresh cherries (frozen will do if it's not the season)
• Eggs
• Milk
• Sugar
• Flour
• Almond flour (optional, but it adds a wonderful flavor)
• Butter (salted is best)
• Vanilla extract
• A bit of vanilla sugar (optional, no big deal if you don't have it, but nice final touch)
• A pinch of salt

That's it.
The batter is similar to a thin pancake or crêpe batter, which bakes around the cherries and creates that delicate custardy texture.

Should You Keep the Cherry Pits?

Ah, the great clafoutis debate.
Traditionally in France, the cherries are left whole with the pits inside. It helps the cherries release less juice during baking.

But here comes the mom in me. If you are serving clafoutis to young children, removing the pits is simply safer.
There is actually a handy little tool designed exactly for this job called a cherry pitter. You place the cherry inside, press down, and the pit pops out neatly while leaving the fruit mostly intact.

When my children were little, I removed every single pit with great care. Fast forward many years later and… surprise. Life decided to keep things interesting. I now have a toddler again.
So we might be back to pitting cherries for a while.
C'est la vie!

Expert Tips for the Best Clafoutis

Use ripe cherries. The flavor of the dessert depends heavily on the quality of the fruit.

• Butter your baking dish generously. This prevents sticking and adds a lovely richness to the edges of the clafoutis.
• Do not overbake it. The center should be set but still slightly tender. Overbaking can make it rubbery.
• Let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Like many custard-style desserts, the texture improves slightly as it cools.
• A light dusting of powdered sugar right before serving is the classic finishing touch.

Choosing the Right Baking Dish

For a beautiful clafoutis with a generous texture, choose a round baking dish or cake pan that isn't too large.
A cake pan of about 8 to 9 inches (20 to 22 cm) in diameter works perfectly. 

This gives you a clafoutis with a nice thickness and a soft, custardy center.
Because honestly, there's nothing sadder than thin, flat slices that feel a bit… underwhelming.

I personally like to use a non-stick cake pan, and of course the dish should be generously buttered before baking to ensure an easy release.

How to Store Cherry Clafoutis

Clafoutis keeps surprisingly well.
You can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To serve, simply let it come back to room temperature or warm it gently in the oven.

Ready to Make Your Own Cherry Clafoutis?

This is the kind of dessert that proves French cooking doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious.

You will find the detailed recipe just below. 🍒
 If you bake it, don't forget to come back and tell me how it turned out, your comments and star ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ mean the world to this little blog.

Looking for More Dessert Ideas?

If you're in the mood for more sweet treats, you might also enjoy my caramelized apple cake or a nice slice of flan pâtissier! Both are wonderfully comforting desserts and perfect for sharing.