Cherry clafoutis, made famous by Julia Child, is a simple and tasty dish to ring in spring! Consider leaving the pits in your cherries to save time.

This post was first published on Jun 18, 2013 and was last updated on March 30, 2020.

When damp spring fades into summer I always have an urge to make cherry clafoutis. I love cherries, and I love them even more when they go on sale! I’ve adapted Julia Child’s original recipe ingredients to make the dish more family friendly, and have changed the assembly method completely.

What Is Clafoutis?

Clafoutis is an egg-based custard dish similar to a Dutch Baby. A Dutch Baby puffs up quite high in the oven and and bakes up crisp on the outside. Clafoutis has similar ingredients to a Dutch Baby, however, it uses a different baking method, takes longer to cook in the oven, and is silkier and more custardy in texture.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Recipe:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup (75g) flour
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240g) milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups cherries (450g) or other fruit of your choice
• powdered sugar for garnish

Should You Remove The Cherry Pits In Clafoutis?

I once read that if you leave pits inside the cherries, your cherry clafoutis will have a more almond-like flavour since almonds and cherries belong to the same plant family. Because I don’t own a cherry pitter, and hate pitting cherries by hand, I prefer to bake my clafoutis with the pits left in! The cherries bake up so soft that the pits will slide right out, however, be sure to mention the cherry pits to guests to prevent broken teeth. I have never found that leaving the cherry pits in makes any real difference in flavour.

What Fruit Can You Use In A Clafoutis?

The version of clafoutis made famous by Julia Child uses cherries, however, you can really use any fruit you like in a clafoutis. Peaches or other stone fruits are beautiful, as are fresh summer berries. Clafoutis can also be made with frozen fruit! Making a clafoutis with frozen strawberries is one of our favourite easy breakfasts.

Can You Make Clafoutis In Advance?

I’m a huge fan of make-ahead recipes, like this Strawberry Baked Oatmeal, which can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning. Classic cherry clafoutis requires a thin layer of batter to be baked before you add the fruit and remaining batter. I would suggest, if you want to make it ahead of time, to bake the full clafoutis recipe, let it cool, and then simply reheat it as needed. The recipe comes together in about 15 minutes, and requires approximately an hour to bake.

How To Serve, Store, And Reheat Cherry Clafoutis

• To Serve Clafoutis – Don’t be surprised when your puffy out-of-the-oven clafoutis deflates in the first five minutes. I like to let mine sit for five or ten minutes, slice it into wedges like a pie, and serve it warm dusted with powdered sugar.
• How To Store Clafoutis – Cut your clafoutis into servings and store any leftovers in a container with an airtight lid in the fridge for up to three days.
• To Reheat Clafoutis – To reheat clafoutis simply place a serving on a plate with a microwaveable cover and heat for 20-45 seconds. Length of time is dependent on the size of your serving so use your knowledge of your own microwave to decide.

Here Are A Few More Stone Fruit Recipes You Might Like!

Small-Batch Maple Peach Whisky Jam

Peach Bourbon Bread Pudding

Nectarine Blueberry Crisp

Yogurt Bowl With Cherry Pesto

Did you make this recipe? If yes, I would love to hear from you in the comments below! You can also find me on Instagram @kellyneildotcom, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.