This recipe for Cherry Clafoutis has been in my drafts for at least a year, possibly two. I made it a few times with different ratios and flours, and I just wasn’t sure I was getting it right.
On our recent trip to France, we had a wonderful dinner at a sweet little restaurant in the Champagne region called Chez Max. One of the desserts – If I recall correctly, we got them all – was Cherry Clafoutis. Tasting this very French dessert in a very French restaurant in France made me realize that I was closer than I thought with my original attempts!
I kept wanting the end result to be less dense, and thought the texture was a result of the gluten-free flours I was using. But after trying it in France and reading more about it from people like Julia Child and David Lebovitz, who know a thing or two about French food, I understood that a rich, dense custard is exactly what it’s supposed to be.
Which I’m very glad about because it’s very delicious, and is so much simper to make than any other custard. How simple, you ask? Throw All The Ingredients In A Blender simple. Cherry is a classic choice here, but this recipe will work with just about any fruit!
Looking for more summer desserts? Some of my faves:
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Cherry Clafoutis – gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: French
Description
The simplest dessert you’ll make all summer, and a perfect way to use those in-season cherries!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet cherries, (pitted)
- butter or preferred fat for greasing the baking dish
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) cassava flour*
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter a 9-inch pie dish or similar sized baking dish with butter, or your preferred fat.
- Place the cherries in a single layer in the dish.
- In a blender, blend the eggs, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cassava flour, and salt until smooth. Pour over the cherries.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until just set in the center. Serve warm or room temperature. (I love it warm, but just as much cold out of the fridge the next day)
Notes
*If using volume measurement, make sure to whisk the cassava flour before measuring.
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Louise Gagne says
Hi Simone – Just love your recipes. Can I use frozen cherries for this recipe? Thank you!
zenbelly says
Hi Louise,
Thanks so much! You can definitely use frozen cherries, just thaw and drain them before using. Hope you love it!
Gayle says
We made this immediately and loved it! The texture is dense but it’s nice with the juicy cherries. What is your preferred way to pit a cherry and keep it whole? I used a paperclip which worked ok.
★★★★★
zenbelly says
I’m glad you liked it! I actually have a cherry pitter like this one, which is something I don’t use often but am glad I have it when I need it! You can use it for olives, too.
Lori says
Absolutely WONDERFUL! My daughter made this using blueberries as we didn’t have cherries and it was simple and delicious. Will definitely make it again using cherries and can see this recipe being splendid with any fruit, including peaches. Thanks!
★★★★★
zenbelly says
Thanks, Lori! I’m so glad you loved it! Peaches are on my list to try, too!
Lori says
Hi. Any sub for cassava flour? do not have
zenbelly says
any other flour, but I can’t promise how it will turn out because all GF flours act pretty differently.
Neveen says
I made this over the weekend using strawberries and wow was it delicious! Easy, elegant, not overly sweet but more than satisfies the craving for dessert. Will definitely be making it for guests. Thanks for the great recipe!
zenbelly says
Yay I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks, Neveen 🙂
Oslo says
Made this for a dinner party last night, back to back with another GF baking attempt that was tear-my-hair-out annoying. This was an easy, breezy, beautiful summer dessert– I could not believe how absurdly easy it was to make. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe!
zenbelly says
woot! Sorry about the frustration that came before this, but I’m glad you had luck (and ease) with this one!
Deb Gluskin says
Once again, you hit it out of the park (been following you since i lived in SF over a decade ago!). Question – i try not to have sugar even in the form of honey.. Can we sub here a Monkfruit or Erith sorry of thing instead? THX!
★★★★★
zenbelly says
Thanks, Deb! I think monk fruit will work just fine, texture-wise. You probably know better than me how much to sub since I don’t ever use the stuff. Please let me know if you try it.
Sarah says
Mine was pretty jiggly even at 45 or 50 minutes. I’m wondering if I used the right milk. I used coconut full fat canned, but was I suppose to just scrape the thick cream off the top without mixing the liquid in? I mixed the liquid in.
zenbelly says
It should be the coconut milk mixed / shaken. Did you use a smaller pan, to make it a lot thicker? That’s the only thing I can think of, it should be on the thin side in a 9 inch dish.
Natalie says
Interesting. I made it last week with wild blueberries and thought it came out a little rubbery, which was more noticeable when cold. I just read the intro to the recipe and am thinking I may have over cooked it a bit. Will definitely be making again!
Susan Eby says
Can I substitute tapioca flour for the cassava flour?
zenbelly says
Sure! I have no idea what the results will be though, since I haven’t tried it myself.
Eileen says
I’ve actually not made this with cherries. Last summer, and again this year, I have been making this almost every week for as long as I can get fresh, organic peaches. So good!!! I just add a pinch each of ginger and nutmeg. Thanks for all the great recipes.
★★★★★
zenbelly says
sounds amazing! I love how clafoutis can be whatever fruit you have laying around.