Elizabeth Bard’s Cherry Clafoutis Recipe for Provence
Dessert · Flans, Puddings · Provencal Recipes · TasteThis sweet summer recipe comes from Elizabeth Bard’s latest book Picnic in Provence: A memoir with Recipes. We published the recipe below for this delicious cherry dessert with the author’s permission.

Cherry Clafouti - Clafoutis aux Cerises
Clafouti is a homey dessert, a wobbly set custard chock-full of summer’s first cherries. What it lacks in elegance, it makes up for in comfort and sheer deliciousness, perfect for brunch among friends. I’ve been fiddling with clafouti recipes for many years. Jean’s had too much flour for my taste, more like a Far Breton. This recipe is adapted from Les Clafoutis de Christophe by Christophe Felder (Éditions Minerva, 2001). Many traditional clafoutis use unpitted cherries, to get the bitter almond flavor from the pits, but if you don’t want to pay for your guests’ dental work, I suggest you pit the cherries and add some amaretto instead!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup milk semi-skimmed, 2%
- 1 tbsp milk semi-skimmed, 2%
- 1 cup light cream 18–20 % fat
- 1 tbsp light cream 18–20 % fat
- 1 tbsp Amaretto rum, or Kirsch
- 1 pound cherries pitted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and egg yolks until a light lemon yellow. Add flour; whisk to combine. Pour in milk, cream, and amaretto, whisking just to combine — this is like pan- cake batter; once you add the flour, you don’t want to overwork it.
- Butter and sugar a 10-inch ceramic tart mold (I sometimes skip this step and just line the dish with a big sheet of parchment paper).
- Put the cherries in the bottom of the mold. Give the batter a final stir and pour it in. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until well browned and fully set in the middle. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature (though I never say no to the leftovers straight from the fridge the next morning).
Notes
Tip: You can make clafouti with any kind of seasonal fruit that won’t give off too much water; blackberries and apricots immediately come to mind.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Grottos of Provence the Caves of VillecrozeRelated Provence Articles
Lavender Roasted Apricots for a Delicious and Quick Summer Dessert
August 15, 2025
Apricots are abundant in the Provence markets in the summer months. The delicious dessert with lavender-roasted apricots below comes from ElsaLenthal.com and has been republished with her permission. Apricots: Summer Stonefruit Apricots are stonefruit (Latin: Prunus sect. Armeniaca) related to plums. The fruit grows on a small tree, about the same size as an olive …
Pretty in Pink Praline Tart a Dessert from Lyon for Valentines
January 13, 2023
A little more than a year ago, I had a nice e-chat with my friend Romain, who writes The Food Trotter. He had just moved from Paris to Lyon and told me of some of the local specialities, one being the iconic Lyonnaise Tarte aux Prâlines Roses (Pink Praline Tart). So naturally, I was intrigued, …
Simple Dessert Blood Orange and Ricotta Cream
April 27, 2022
Whenever it is blood orange season, we make a point of using this distinctive citrus in salads, cocktails and desserts. Below is a recipe for Blood Orange and Ricotta Cream is, a simple and delicious dessert you can make in no time. Enjoy this dessert with a glass of Pure rosé; it perfectly matches its …
Recipe for Fruit Clafoutis a Provencal Classic
August 7, 2017
Warm fruits baked in a sweet creamy batter sprinkled with sugar.…
No Comment