Fall might be just around the corner, but there can never be enough sweet summer treats making the crimson cherry the star. Fresh Cherry Clafoutis is the easy dessert that will have you feeling like Julia Child in the kitchen.

I love using cherries in both sweet and savory recipes, such as my Grilled Pork Loin with Cherry Bourbon Compote. They are the perfect ingredient that adds that balance of sweetness with just the right amount of tart.

Ingredients

Fresh Cherry Clafoutis, a classic French dessert, might sound fancy, but not only is it easy, it requires only a handful of ingredients to create. If you can whip up pancake batter, you can make this confection.

Fresh Cherries - These are the leading ladies of this dish. You want to pick ripe, juicy cherries.
Cognac or Rum - Not only does this add a smoky depth of flavor to the batter, as the alcohol evaporates and bakes it also causes the batter to rise and be airy.
Eggs - This is a thin batter that is similar to a pancake batter. Eggs add richness while also binding it all together and helping it rise.
Sugar - This is a lightly sweet dessert.
Flour - Because this is a thin batter it doesn't have much flour in it.
Salt - Salt enhances all of the flavors. You just need a pinch.
Milk - There is more milk in this batter than flour. Use whole milk for extra richness.
Butter - Butter is used to grease the baking dish, helping the clafoutis to easily release.
Vanilla - Vanilla makes everything better with its aromatic sweetness.
Powdered Sugar - The cherry on the clafouti, a light dusting of powdered sugar is all that's needed to make this dessert sparkle.

How to Make Fresh Cherry Clafoutis

Impress your friends and family with this elegant French dessert. With a just a few tips and trick you will be serving this up all cherry season long!

Time needed: 1 hour.

Get out your mixing bowl and whisk. The flan like airness of the batter combined with the bounty of fresh cherries

Prep
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use softened butter to grease your oven safe baking dish before dusting it with two tablespoons of sugar. Shake out the excess. Make sure all of your cherries are pitted.
Cherries
Sprinkle your cherries across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Mix
Add your eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix until the sugar is partially dissolved, and the eggs are light and frothy. Sprinkle in your flour and mix until it's just combined. Add your vanilla, rum or cognac, and salt and mix. Slowly pour in your milk while mixing.
Bake
Pour the thin batter over the top of the cherries. Bake your clafoutis for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and a knife comes out clean. Allow it to cool slightly.
Serve
Use a fine mesh sieve to sprinkle powdered sugar over the top before serving.

Substitutions

While fresh cherries are the absolute best for this dish, you can also use frozen cherries that have been defrosted and drained. This will allow you to make this dessert year round.

Variations

Cherries are the traditional fruit to add to clafoutis, you can use the same batter and swap out the cherries for something else. Here are just a few suggestions.

Peaches
Apricots
Raspberries
Blueberries
Strawberries

Tools for Fresh Cherry Clafoutis

Using a cherry pitter will help easily remove the pits. The only other tools needed are a mixing bowl either mixer or whisk, and baking dish.

Storage

This dessert can be served either warm or cold. If serving later in the day you can keep it wrapped at room temperature. If serving it on another day, it can keep for several days covered in the refrigerator.

Top Tip for Fresh Cherry Clafoutis

This batter is a thin and light batter. Even though it doesn't have a lot of flour, just like any batter you want to be careful not to over mix it. This will keep the final dessert tender, light, and airy.