French Clafoutis (Baked Fruit Dessert)

Clafoutis is a French dessert that beautifully combines simplicity and elegance. It’s a baked fruit dish, traditionally made with cherries, where a silky, custard like batter is poured over the fruit before baking to perfection.

The result is a dessert that’s both rustic and refined, perfect for showcasing the flavours of fresh, seasonal fruit. Often served warm, clafoutis offers a taste of French country cooking that feels comforting yet sophisticated, making it a beloved treat at tables across France.

What Is Clafoutis?

Clafoutis is a traditional baked French dessert that features fresh fruit, most famously cherries, suspended in a lightly sweetened, flan like batter. The cherries, typically unpitted to retain their flavour, are arranged in a dish, and the batter, which is a simple mixture of eggs, sugar, flour, and milk, is poured over them.

As it bakes, the batter puffs up around the fruit, creating a beautifully golden, slightly set custard with pockets of juicy fruit. The dessert is often dusted with powdered sugar and served warm, either on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of cream.

Though cherries are the classic choice, other fruits like plums, apricots, or berries are also popular variations. The beauty of clafoutis lies in its versatility, whatever fruit is in season can be used, making it a wonderful celebration of the bounty of each time of year.

Ingredients and Taste

The ingredients in clafoutis are humble but come together to create a dessert that is both rich and light. The base batter is made from eggs, sugar, flour, and milk, sometimes with a hint of vanilla or almond extract for added flavour.

The eggs give the dessert its custardy texture, while the flour adds just enough body to hold the fruit in place as it bakes. The milk ensures the batter is creamy and smooth, with a consistency that hovers somewhere between a cake and a custard.

Cherries, the traditional fruit used, bring a bright, tart sweetness that perfectly contrasts with the smooth, slightly sweet batter. When baked, the cherries release their juices into the custard, creating pockets of intense fruit flavour in every bite.

The texture of clafoutis is soft, almost melt-in-your-mouth, with a gentle sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm the natural flavours of the fruit. The simplicity of the batter allows the fruit to shine, making each forkful feel light yet indulgent.

A Taste of History

Clafoutis hails from the Limousin region in central France, where it has been a beloved dessert for centuries. Its origins lie in the rural kitchens of French farmhouses, where the dessert was often made to celebrate the cherry harvest.

The name “clafoutis” is thought to come from the Occitan word “clafir,” meaning “to fill,” a reference to the way the batter fills the gaps between the fruit as it bakes.

Traditionally, cherries were left unpitted in the dessert, as the pits were believed to add a subtle, almond like flavour during baking. While some still uphold this practice, many modern recipes suggest pitting the cherries for ease of eating.

Over time, clafoutis spread beyond the Limousin region, becoming popular across France and around the world. The dessert has since evolved to include various fruits, but the classic cherry version remains the most iconic.

Its enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless appeal, a dessert that’s both rustic and refined, simple yet full of flavour.