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Clafoutis with Raspberries – Simple French Dessert
Instructions
Place the soft butter (100 g) in a deep dish – it is very important that the butter is slightly melted and soft. Take it out of the fridge 1–2 hours before cooking. Add the pre-sifted flour (1 cup) to the soft butter, then 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 cup of sugar and 0.5 tsp of vanillin – adding them in this order gives a smooth batter with no lumps. Sifting the flour aerates it and makes the dessert more airy.
Thoroughly mix all the dry and fatty components with a blender at medium speed for 1–2 minutes – you should get a smooth, paste-like mass with no flour lumps. Beat 5 chicken eggs into this mass – the eggs should be at room temperature, as cold ones will make the texture separate and turn lumpy.
Once again, lightly beat the combined ingredients with the blender on low speed for 30 seconds – vigorous beating would knock the air out of the batter and the clafoutis would turn out dense. As a result, you should have a delicate egg-and-flour mixture of a pale yellow colour in your bowl.
Warm the milk (1 cup) slightly in the microwave for 30 seconds – it should be warm but not hot (35–40 °C). Warm milk combines better with the egg-and-butter base and makes the batter smooth. Pour the warm milk in a thin stream into the bowl with the egg mixture.
Thoroughly mix the milk with the other components using a wooden spoon or a whisk – there is no need to beat vigorously now. The homemade clafoutis batter is ready: it should have the consistency of single cream, pouring easily off the spoon. The quantity of ingredients given is calculated for a rectangular mould 30×20×3 cm. Lightly grease the mould with 3 tablespoons of olive oil using a silicone brush and pour in the liquid egg batter.
Spread 2 cups of raspberries evenly over the batter – for this French dessert you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries. Frozen ones give a more intense colour when baked, while fresh ones give a more delicate berry texture. Arrange the berries in a single layer. Sprinkle the clafoutis on top with the remaining 1 cup of sugar – it will create the characteristic sweet caramelised crust.
Bake the delicate French dessert in an oven preheated to 180 °C for about 30–35 minutes. For the first 20 minutes do not open the oven – a sudden change in temperature will make the creamy centre sink. Check for doneness with a wooden toothpick in the centre of the dessert – it should come out moist but without raw batter (clafoutis has a characteristic creamy texture inside, unlike an ordinary sponge cake).
Let the finished raspberry clafoutis rest in the mould for 10 minutes, then serve it either warm or cold – that is the beauty of this French dessert. Clafoutis goes wonderfully with a cup of aromatic cappuccino, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some raspberry jam. If you like, decorate it with juicy fresh raspberries and sprigs of mint for an attractive presentation.
Tips
- 1
The butter must be soft and at room temperature – take it out of the fridge 1–2 hours in advance. Melted hot butter will curdle the eggs, while frozen butter will not combine with the flour and will give lumps.
- 2
You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries – the result is equally tasty. Add frozen ones to the batter without thawing, otherwise they will release a lot of juice and the batter will become runny.
- 3
Check the clafoutis for doneness with a toothpick in the centre of the dessert – it should come out slightly moist but without raw batter. Clafoutis has a characteristic creamy texture inside rather than a dry one like a sponge cake – this is correct.
- 4
Serve this homemade French dessert either warm or cold – both versions are tasty. Warm clafoutis is more aromatic and soft, while cold clafoutis is denser and easier to cut into portions.
FAQ
Can I use other berries for clafoutis? +
Yes, clafoutis is a versatile recipe. In France it is traditionally made with pitted cherries or sweet cherries – that is the classic of Limoges. The following also work beautifully: blueberries (a delicate, slightly tart taste), blackberries (bright and rich), strawberries (halved if the berries are large), bilberries, currants (black or red), apricots or peaches (cut into slices). You can mix 2–3 kinds of berries for a more complex flavour. The quantity is 2 cups for the mould specified. Clafoutis with cherries remains the most aromatic option of all.
Why did my clafoutis not bake through inside? +
There are three main reasons: the layer of batter is too thick (for a 30×20 cm mould a height of 2 cm is enough; anything thicker will not bake through in the centre), the oven temperature is too high (bake strictly at 180 °C; at 200 °C the top will burn before the centre is done), or the batter is cold straight from the fridge (let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking). The quality of the flour can also have an effect – weak flour with low gluten gives desserts that do not bake through. The fix: if the centre is raw, cover the clafoutis with foil and bake for another 10–15 minutes at 170 °C.
How long does the finished raspberry clafoutis keep? +
In the fridge under cling film, in the same tin or in a container, for up to 3 days. Before serving you can warm it slightly in the microwave for 15–20 seconds – the homemade dessert will become soft and aromatic again. At room temperature, no more than 12 hours – the berry juice turns sour quickly. I do not recommend freezing clafoutis: when thawed, the egg base separates and the texture suffers. It is better to make small batches in a half-sized mould and eat them within 2 days.
Can I bake clafoutis without butter? +
Yes, a lean version of clafoutis is made without butter. Replace 100 g of butter with 80 ml of refined odourless vegetable oil, or with 100 g of melted coconut oil for a more aromatic version. The taste will be less creamy and a little denser, but tasty all the same. You can also replace the milk with a plant-based one (almond, oat or coconut) – you will get a vegan version if you also leave out the eggs (replace the 5 eggs with 150 ml of banana puree plus 1 tsp of baking soda). Classic French clafoutis is made only with butter – that is its distinctive feature.
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