Cherry clafoutis is a rustic French dessert with sweet cherries baked into a soft, tender batter. My version is slightly thicker and more sliceable than traditional custardy clafoutis, landing somewhere between classic cherry clafoutis and a simple cherry cake. It's an easy one-pan summer dessert made with real fresh cherries, no fuss, and no neon cherries in sight. Serve with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream.
Instead of pouring a thin batter over whole cherries, I spread a thicker batter into the pan and arrange halved cherries over the top. The result is buttery, tender, fruit-forward, and easy to slice-more like an old-fashioned fruit buckle meets simple country French dessert. Make it gluten-free or with all-purpose flour; I've done both, and it's always a hit that people love, especially topped with vanilla bean ice cream.
↓ Recipe
Cherry Clafoutis Recipe Snapshot
- One-pan summer dessert - Simple to make and baked in a single pan.
- Fresh cherry flavor - Sweet summer cherries are the star.
- Rustic and sliceable - Softer than cake, sturdier than classic clafoutis.
- Made from scratch - Real ingredients, easy steps, and no boxed mixes..
For another fantastic one-pan cake, try this lemon olive oil cake, one of my favorite dessert recipes.
Ingredients You'll Need
You'll need a 9" springform pan and some parchment to line it.
- Cherries - Use fresh, sweet cherries for the best flavor. Bing, black cherries, or Rainier cherries all work; choose whichever looks best at the market.
- Flour - I use King Arthur gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for structure and binding. Not gluten-free? All-purpose flour works too; that's how I made this before going gluten-free.
- Baking powder - Use aluminum-free baking powder to help the clafoutis rise evenly.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is best for baking. Dairy-free note below.
- Sugar - Natural cane sugar sweetens the batter without making it overly sweet.
- Eggs - Large eggs add richness, color, and structure.
- Almond extract - Almond and cherry are a classic pairing, but vanilla extract works too if preferred.
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
Chef's Note: Why a Springform Pan. I bake this cherry clafoutis in a springform pan because it unmolds cleanly and slices beautifully. Traditional French clafoutis is often baked in a ceramic dish or cast iron skillet and served by the spoon. This version is a little more structured, making it easy to cut into wedges for serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Dairy-free - Use unsalted plant-based butter sticks or blocks, such as Miyoko's or Earth Balance. Avoid buttery spreads in tubs, which behave differently in baking. If nut allergies are a concern, read labels carefully, as some plant-based butters contain cashews.
- Lower sugar - Replace part or all of the cane sugar with a monk fruit blend.
- For a richer texture - Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to the batter. It adds a little extra richness and tenderness.
For another easy almond flavored cake, try this almond flour orange cake.
Chef's Tip: Tools for Working With Cherries - Use disposable kitchen gloves to protect hands from the high stain juice of cherries (and a sturdy kitchen apron). The best way to pit cherries for a cherry clafoutis is with an inexpensive cherry pitter. For the best results (in all baking), weigh your flour with a digital kitchen scale. This is especially important with gluten-free flours.
How to Make a Cherry Clafoutis
You need a 9" springform pan for your baking pan, and parchment paper, either pieces you can cut or 9" parchment rounds. Buy them online or at a kitchen supply store. Have your butter and eggs at room temperature before starting.
Chef's note: Fresh or frozen cherries? I have not tested a cherry clafoutis with frozen pitted cherries. My concern is all of the extra moisture frozen cherries have. Even when thawed and patted dry in paper towels, they may not work out well in this recipe. If you try it, be sure the cherries are as dry as possible and let me know how it comes out.
Serving Suggestions
Serve cherry clafoutis for dessert or even brunch. It needs only a simple finish: a scoop of vanilla ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, sweetened plain Greek yogurt with honey, or a dusting of powdered sugar or powdered monk fruit. Even plain is good!
If you love cherries like I do, try this healthy cherry smoothie with Greek yogurt.
Storing
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate well wrapped for 3-4 days. The texture will soften a bit in the refrigerator, but it's still delicious.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
Check out the dessert category page for more ideas. If you enjoy baking, try this orange almond cake. It's another one pan easy recipe. If you love frozen desserts, try this nectarine sorbet, refreshing and dairy-free too.
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Clafoutis (Easy One-Pan Cherry Cake)
Equipment
- Kitchen gloves optional
Ingredients
Cherry Cake
- Non-stick spray or use the butter wrapper
- 35-40 large fresh sweet cherries 12 ounces before pitting
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend 4.6 ounces
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 4 ounces unsalted dairy butter at room temperature, sub plant butter
- ¾ cup cane sugar or monk fruit blend 6 ounces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or sub vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons sugar optional for top before baking
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream optional
Optional toppings
- vanilla ice cream
- lightly sweetened whipped cream
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Instructions
Pre-heat Oven, Prepare Pan
- Position oven rack in the center and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pan. Spray or butter the bottom of the springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment circle.
Pit the Cherries
- Wash, stem and pit the cherries with a cherry pitter tool or a paring knife. Cut the cherries in half, top to bottom.
Blend dry ingredients
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Give them a quick whisk to evenly combine and aerate the mixture.
Cream the butter and sugar
- In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with a hand-held electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated and the batter is smooth, then add in the almond extract and heavy cream if using. Add in the flour blend. Beat on low speed, increasing speed as batter stiffens, until smooth. Batter will be thick.
Bake the Cake
- Scrape batter into the pan and smooth to the edges with a flexible spatula or mini off-set spatula. Starting at the outer edge, place the cherries cut side down on top of the batter completely covering the top. Sprinkle the top with the 2-3 teaspoons of extra sugar if desired. Bake cake until golden on top, 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester, toothpick or paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean, and top is lightly golden.
Cool Cake and Serve
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Run a thin paring knife around the inside of the pan edge to free the cake. Pop the spring and remove the sides of the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. Cake keeps 2 days well wrapped on the counter or up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Kulinarna Wyspa says
Classic recipe, but unfortunately I have never tried to prepare this cake myself. It is about time to change this. I will use your recipe, because it sounds very credible to me.
Mary@siftingfocus.com says
Sally, you have inspired me to give clafoutis another try. I made it once and didn't care for that particular rendition. Your recipe sounds great. Love the addition of the whole wheat pastry flour.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This cherry cake looks divine!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
This is my kind of cake! It looks lovely!
Sally says
Sally, this is my kind of cake! I haven't been doing much baking, so you really inspired me with this. I can imagine it with nectarines, plums, raspberries, and even apples as the season winds down. I've made cakes with frozen berries, and I think as long as they are not defrosted first they will work. If I don't get around to this soon enough, I'm willing to risk it....Thanks!
Shut Up & Cook says
We've been up to our eyeballs in cherries, and running out of ideas of what to do with them...so this sounds like just the ticket!
susan says
I am not a cake and frosting kind of gal - so not my style, This cake, on the other hand, is so something I would gobble up. Looks gorgeous, Sally!
Christina says
Hi Sally,
This cake looks absolutely yummy. A small note of clarification; the ingredients note 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons or 13 grams). Shouldn't that be 113 grams? And the eggs? Also, any suggestions should you not have access to fresh cherries and have to resort to frozen ones? Thank you in advance!
Sally says
Hi Christina. Thanks for the catch. Just updated. I have not tried frozen cherries. Would be a good experiment. My only concern is their moisture content. If they are not too wet after thawing and draining it could work.
Nan says
Hi Sally, I notice you mention eggs in the directions and yet there are no eggs listed in the ingredient list. I'd love to make this recipe but wonder about the eggs? Thanks!
Madonna says
I love the thought of any cake that can be quickly assembled, but has a wow factor. Oh, and most anyone would have the ingredients on hand with the exception of the fruit. You can just tell by the color of this cake that it has flavor. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe.