Gluten-free Cherry Clafoutis

Fruity, light, and creamy, with a lovely balance of tart and sweet, this gorgeous French dessert features fresh cherries baked into a delightful custard base.

Perfect for a summer picnic or cookout, my gluten-free version of this classic recipe is super easy and can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. C’est magnifique!

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While doing our weekend shopping at the local farmer’s market, my husband and I made a rather fortunate mistake; we accidentally bought too many cherries. I mean, way too many cherries. It’s not that we don’t like cherries (we do), or that we can’t eat lots of cherries as snacks (we can), but these particular cherries from the market are so fresh and juicy that sadly they start to grow mold in about 2 days. Even the most dedicated cherry-lover would struggle to consume the quantity we bought in that time period.

It was futile. We needed to use the cherries in a dish, lest they would go to waste. I thought quickly, and my mind (as it often does) turned towards desserts. And then, I started reminiscing about summer in France.

About a decade ago, I spent a fabulous week visiting a friend who lived in the Auvergne region of central France. It’s no secret that French people love to eat, and French cooking is among the best on the entire planet. During my visit, I spent a very enjoyable summer evening at a large family barbeque, and there I had the chance to try a legion of traditional and delicious homemade French food.

One of the most intriguing dishes at the barbeque was a dessert that I had never seen before. It had no crust and looked like a cross between a cake and a flan. The base was some kind of custard, which seemed to be overflowing with plump, red cherries. I took a bite; it was light in texture, slightly tart and gently sweet, with a velvety smooth, creamy base. Glorious.

I excitedly asked my friend about this dish, and he told me that it’s called a clafoutis (kla-fu-tee) and is a very popular summer dessert. While cherries are commonly used, clafoutis can be made with any fresh summer fruit. The following morning, I watched in surprise and amusement as my friend and his family consumed leftover clafoutis for breakfast. Pourquoi pas?

Back to our cherry conundrum. The solution was now clear: I would bake a delicious gluten-free cherry clafoutis!

Luckily, making this dish without gluten was quite easy, as most of the ingredients in clafoutis are naturally gluten-free. I only needed to replace the regular flour in the custard base with a gluten-free flour blend. After tasting my version, I was immediately transported back to my wonderful summer in France. This cherry clafoutis is lightly sweet, wonderfully creamy, and intensely fruity. The touch of almond extract gives it a slightly nutty flavor and an extra complexity.

I am very happy to share my recipe with you. Here’s how to make it!

What you will need

This simple recipe only requires a handful of ingredients. You will need the following:

• whole fresh sweet cherries (or frozen if you don’t have fresh)
• caster or granulated sugar
• eggs
• butter
• whole milk (or 2%)
• vanilla extract
• almond extract 
• plain gluten-free flour (I used Doves Farm Freee)
• salt
• powdered sugar (for decorating)

How to make Gluten-free Cherry Clafoutis

Let’s start with the cherries. Look for good-quality, sweet cherries, and remember to give them a thorough rinse. Now comes the tricky part: removing those pesky pits. Now, you don’t have to pit your cherries if don’t feel like it, or maybe you want to make a traditional cherry clafoutis in which the cherries are baked into the custard pits and all. However, if you’re like me, and you prefer eating desserts without worrying about losing a tooth or two, then I would recommend pitting the cherries first.

I used a wooden skewer to poke holes into the top of the cherries and push the pits out, but you could also use a knife, fork, or even invest in a cherry pitter. I won’t lie, however you do it, it’s a bit of a messy process.

Once the pits out, give yourself a pat on the back— the hardest and most time-consuming part of the dish is done! Oh, somewhere in the process you’ll also want to remove the cherry stems, but that’s a considerably easier task.

Now we’re going to marinate these lovely fruits to bring out their full, robust flavor. Place your cherries into a bowl and add 38g (3 tbsp) of sugar. Stir everything together with a spoon until the cherries are nicely coated in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Once the cherries have been chilling for a while, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350⁰ F/ 180⁰ C/ 160⁰ fan. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, glass dish, or cast-iron skillet with unsalted butter.  I used a glass pie dish.

Now melt the butter and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. You can melt it on the stovetop or in the microwave, it’s up to you.

Now, it’s time to make the lovely custard filling. It’s so easy! Grab yourself a large mixing bowl and start by whisking 3 eggs together.

Into the same bowl, add the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and the melted butter. Give them a good whisk. Then add the sugar and whisk everything till combined.

Now add the flour and salt. Keep on whisking!

A properly whisked custard base should be smooth and frothy with tiny air bubbles, like this:

Remember those cherries? Take them out of the fridge and scatter them evenly onto the bottom of your buttered pan, glass dish, or skillet.

Now pour the custard mixture all over the cherries. Watch them bathe in custard!

Your cherry clafoutis is ready to bake. Put it into the oven for 35-40 minutes.

You can test for doneness by poking a toothpick through the custard (non-cherry part) to see if it comes out mostly clean. The top should be slightly puffed up and golden-brown. Ooh la la.

Remove it from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. You can serve it immediately, allow it to come to room temperature, or put it into the fridge for a few hours to chill.

Before serving, dust the top of the clafoutis with powdered sugar. Stand back and admire your beautiful creation.

Personally, I think cherry clafoutis tastes best when chilled, but it will be delicious however you choose to serve it. This dish pairs beautifully with whipped cream, ice cream, or additional fruit. A spectacular summer dessert for an outdoor gathering with family and friends.

Bon appetit!

Tips for success!

• I recommend weighing your ingredients for better accuracy. Since I bought a kitchen scale, I find it so much easier and faster than measuring by cups.
• You could use frozen cherries if you don’t have fresh, but I would recommend not using canned cherry pie filling as it will be too runny.
• Be careful when measuring your almond extract; it has a very strong flavour and too adding much can result in a very chemically taste. This recipe calls for only ¼ tsp of almond extract. Adding the right amount will give the custard a lovely nutty taste without overpowering the other flavors.

This nutritional information is based on the brands and ingredients I used for this recipe. They may not be 100% accurate for you. Please check your nutrition labels for more precise information.