Apple Clafoutis Recipe: How to Make Classic Apple Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a traditional fresh fruit cake from Limousin, a rural region in Brittany, France. Eggs give the cake its light, airy texture and silky, creamy mouthfeel. Like a Dutch baby pancake, another eggy, soufflé-like treat, clafoutis will softly collapse when removed from the oven. Once its center is sunken and no longer steaming—just warm to the touch—the dish is ready to eat.

The classic Breton filling is whole black cherries, but in the fall, you can use fresh apples or pears. In the summertime, popular fillings include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or sliced plums.

The term “clafoutis” is often used to describe a custard dish filled with any fruit, it technically only refers to the traditional version filled with black cherries. When the baked custard is filled with any other fresh or dried fruit, it’s a “flaugnarde.” You can bake both clafoutis and flaugnarde in a cast-iron skillet or baking dish.

Fruit selection plays a major role in a clafoutis bake, though oven temperature and humidity also play pivotal parts in the baking process. Here are some key tips for baking clafoutis:

1. 1. Make personal servings. Turn any clafoutis recipe into a handheld treat by scooping individual servings into a muffin tin. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces to ensure it fits.
2. 2. Parcook the apples. Cook apple slices with butter and brown sugar directly in the cast-iron pan. Remove the apples and add on top of the clafoutis before baking to ensure the apples get tender without overcooking the custard. The brown sugar and butter create a simple caramel sauce for a caramel apple clafoutis. You can also add a dollop of applesauce to the clafoutis.
3. 3. Get the ratio right. Too much egg white to flour can yield a rubbery clafoutis texture. Use a ratio of three large eggs to each half cup of flour to ensure a tender texture.