Plum Clafoutis Recipe

You really need to make this easy and delicious Plum clafoutis! At the halfway point between a Dutch baby and a dense rich flan, this classic French dessert made from simple ingredients requires very little forethought and takes no time to make. Here, juicy, sweet plums are enveloped in a rich and silky batter then baked until puffed and golden brown. Heavenly.

We are summer plum fanatics in this household. Particularly with the sweet as nectar, smaller Italian plums that arrive late summer. I have made many trips to the Farmers Market exclusively to purchase the large baskets of these gems when our current supply starts running out. As predicted, I often end up with too many and that’s when they happily go into a clafoutis; a dessert that lets the sharply juicy and sweet fruit shine through, and is quicker to prepare than pancakes. Silky like a flan, it is also wonderfully delicious.

What is clafoutis?

Clafoutis (Cla-foo-tee), is a baked classic French dessert made with fruit, traditionally cherries, that are arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a crepe-like mixture, made with eggs, flour, sugar and milk. When placed in the oven to bake, it puffs up beautifully with streaks of fruit juices spilling throughout.

The clafoutis is most often served at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar and sometimes a little whipped cream on the side.

Ingredients in plum clafoutis

The beauty of this plum clafoutis is that it uses mostly pantry ingredients that you will likely have on hand. This, and the fact that it so easy to throw together, makes it an ideal dessert to whip up at the last minute.

• Eggs – Because a clafoutis has very little flour, you want to be mindful of the egg to flour ratio so your batter is not too eggy. Similarly, use too few eggs and the batter will not be dense enough. For a half cup of flour, 3 large eggs work perfectly.
• Sugar – I have great results with cane sugar. Use regular if you prefer.
• Whole milk – Whole milk is really best for a clafoutis.
• Flour – When making a pancake or crepe batter, I rarely use white all-purpose flour choosing instead to experiment with more whole wheat flours such as buckwheat, rye, or spelt. A clafoutis batter, however, has very little flour so I like to stick to all-white flour which yields a velvety-light, and silky custard. You can experiment with almond flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour, though I haven’t given those a try. Update: A reader has tried making the clafoutis with almond flour and it did not work. Perhaps an all-purpose GF flour would work, but again, I haven’ tried it.
• Salt – Always add a pinch into custardy desserts.
• Butter – Many recipes call for whole milk with a small amount of cream. For this recipe, I use 2 tablespoons of melted butter in place of the cream which adds a silky richness to the batter.
• Vanilla extract –You can experiment with other extracts like almond or rum. Keep in mind other flavors may be much stronger.
• Fruit – Here I used plums. Below are some suggestions on using other types of fruit.

Best fruit to use

For this plum clafoutis, I like to use the juicy, smaller-sized Italian plums that are crowding the tables at the Farmer’s markets right now. Deep purple in colour, they are soft and sweet and just perfect for this simple dessert. Any plums will work, as long as they are fully ripe and in-season so they are really flavourful.

As mentioned, cherries are a classic for Clafoutis but you can use any fresh seasonal fruit for this dessert. Blueberries, raspberries, apples, pears, and apricots all work. Peaches also work but tend to be quite juicy so use really firm ones, if you can.

I have made a clafoutis with cinnamon-dusted caramelized pears that is absolutely scrumptious and I think it would be a dream with figs in the Fall.

How to make plum clafoutis

A clafoutis requires only one bowl making it so easy to throw together and a cinch to clean up. If you don’t have a tart pan, you can make a clafoutis in a cast iron skillet, or any other shallow baking dish of similar size.

1. Grease the pan: Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan, or similar-size baking dish, with 1 tablespoon butter. Dust the bottom of the pan with sugar (I use cane or Demerara) which gives a little structure to the bottom of the clafoutis.
2. Prepare the plums: Wash and dry the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits. I like to quarter the plums but you can leave them in half if you wish, or if they are very small. Arrange the plum slices on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
3. Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and flour. Slowly pour in the milk followed by the vanilla and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
4. Assemble and bake the clafoutis: Pour the batter over the plums in the baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the custard is just set in the centre.

To serve

The clafoutis comes out of the oven gorgeously puffy, but do note it deflates pretty quickly. If you prefer to serve slices, wait until the clafoutis has almost completely cooled and set. To serve it hot or warm, scoop it out with a large spoon. It is honestly fantastic either way. Dust with powdered sugar, if you wish, just before serving. So good.

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Plum Clafoutis Recipe

Author: Sandra Valvassori

At the halfway point between a Dutch baby and a dense rich flan, this classic French dessert made from simple ingredients takes no time to make and requires very little forethought. Here, juicy, sweet plums are enveloped in a rich and silky batter then baked until puffed and golden brown. It’s wonderful to serve straight out of the oven, but letting it cool to room temperature firms up the custard and allows the flavours to meld. As summer rounds the bend into Fall, swap out the plums for pears, apples, or figs.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 6 to 8

Ingredients  

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• 2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter, plus softened butter for greasing the pan
• 1/4 c. sugar, plus 1 tablespoon I use cane sugar
• 3/4 lb fresh plums (about 8 small-medium sized) washed, pitted and sliced into wedges
• 3 eggs
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• icing sugar for serving, optional

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan, or similar-size baking dish, with softened butter. Dust the bottom of the pan with 1 tablespoon sugar. Arrange the plum slices on the bottom of the pan.
• In a medium bowl, or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs until smooth. Add in the sugar, salt, and flour and whisk again until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla then slowly pour in the milk. Whisk until a smooth batter forms.
• Pour the batter over the plums. If your dish is very full, you may want to place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Carefully trasnsfer to oven and bake until the clafoutis is nicely puffed and golden, and just set in the center, about 30-35 minutes.
• Let cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.

Notes

*Avoid using a metal pan which will cause the bottom and sides to brown too quickly.

*Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

Keywords: Clafoutis, Plums

Cuisine French

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