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Berry Clafoutis recipe - a traditional French dessert. I made it with Blackberries and Blueberries. Breakfast and dessert recipe.
The main reason I wanted to make this baked French dessert was that I liked how it sounded - berry clafoutis. Doesn't it sound very French and sophisticated and refined? Plus, as you can judge from the name, the berry clafoutis is filled with berries (and I love sweets with berries), and it is different from your usual berry desserts because it has a flan-like texture. So I was excited to give it a try!
Keep in mind that this dessert is not for everybody. Here is an example. My husband loved it because he loves everything "French" and he doesn't like overly sweet desserts. So, judge for yourself and your audience. If you don't like overly sweet desserts but love desserts with a lot of berries - go for this mixed berry clafoutis!
This recipe has only ⅓ cup of flour, compared to 1 cup of half-and-half and 3 eggs, which results in a flan-like texture instead of a cake-like texture. As a result, these dessert bars are very light in terms of the density of the cake batter, which makes berries the star ingredient (as opposed to the cake batter). And that's why I loved this recipe. If that's what you're looking for - you'll love it too!
As I was photographing my berry clafoutis, I had a funny incident, when one of the slices fell off during the photo shoot, and, as a result, I got a funny "food action":
A couple of key things to consider when making berry clafoutis:
1) Make sure to use electric mixer to whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla extract really well until very smooth and well-combined. If this step is not done properly and you don't whisk eggs enough your dessert might come out too egg-smelly.
2) This kind of dessert tends to stick to the pan. So, while I like to use butter to grease the pan and cut slices right out of the pan (without taking the cake out of the pan), you might want to use non-stick spray like Pam and give a good coat to your pan, just in case.
3) Do not over-cook. Bake exactly for 30 or 35 minutes (NOT LONGER) in a well pre-heated oven and don't open the oven during baking to avoid losing heat. If you overcook this dessert, your eggs will overcook, and it will taste rubbery. After 30 or 35 minutes of baking, the clafoutis should look puffed up, golden around edges and set in the middle (when the top is no more liquid). It should be flan-like.
4) Serve it warm. It's good at room temp and warm with a little cream or half-and-half poured over it.
When you made the berry clafoutis batter, grease the baking pan with butter and then coat with granulated sugar. Alternatively, just use non-stick spray like Pam to ensure your dessert does not stick (it's a very sticky dessert)
Add berries on the bottom
Pour the batter over the berries. It will be very liquid
That's how your berry clafoutis dessert should look after baking for 30-40 minutes (golden around edges, set in the middle):
Berry Clafoutis with Blackberries and Blueberries
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar , plus more for dusting
- pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter , for greasing the baking pan
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar , for dusting the baking pan
- 6 ounces blackberries
- 6 ounces blueberries
- Lemon zest of half a lemon , optional
Instructions
- Use 9 inch square cake pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a medium bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder, salt and powdered sugar.
- In a small bowl, using electric mixer, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla extract until very smooth and well-combined. Make sure this step is done properly so that in the end your dessert does not come out smelling too much like eggs.
- Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients, and stir, using electric mixer, until a smooth batter forms. The batter will be very liquid. At this point, you can mix in optional lemon zest into the batter.
- Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan with butter. Dust all surfaces of the pan with the granulated sugar and fill the pan with the mixed berries. This type of dessert has a tendency to stick, so instead of butter you might use non-stick spray instead.
- Pour the batter over the berries. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until puffed up, golden around edges and set in the middle (when the top is no more liquid), and it looks and feels flan-like. Do not open the oven until the end of the baking time, or the clafoutis may collapse. Berries will rise to the top towards the end of baking time. Do not overcook, or your dish will come out “rubbery”.
- Turn out onto a serving plate, dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. It’s also good with a little cream, milk or half and half poured over it. This dessert is best consumed fresh, immediately after baking, or within 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Can I use a 9 x 13 baking dish for this recipe?
My boyfriend and I tried this recipe tonight. We found it very tasty and different. Even though it is mention that this dessert is flan like,we we're surprise by the softness/texture of it. Overall, easy, delicious and fun to make!
could i substitute razberries. Instead of blk berries?? Thoughts?
This was delicious! Just made this recipe. I left out the lemon, baked for 40 minutes. I can only describe it as a yummy baked crepe! Thanks for sharing. I followed all of your tips which is why it turned out great. I can't stop eating it.
Laura, so glad the recipe worked for you and that you liked it! I love berry clafoutis because it's so light, uses a very small amount of flour, this dessert is all about the berries - one of my favorite ways to use blackberries and raspberries in baked desserts. 🙂
Thank you for the clafoutis recipe! I have been living in France for 17 years now and if there is one thing, it is that the deserts are way too sweet for me. Just not the sweet tooth, am I 🙂 So I use use your wonderful recipe - using only 1/2 cup of sugar for the dough and dusting the pan with fine semolina - it is tasting lovely - although I suppose your mother-in-law might not develop a taste for this reduced-sugar version :-). In France one can get extra-fine dusting sugar and that would be something for your mother-in-law to sprinkle on top of the ice cream. THANK YOU for the recipe!
Laura, thank you for your comment! I am not into overly sweet desserts either. This light dessert is one of my favorite ways to have berries. I am so glad you commented on my recipe, because lately I've become somewhat obsessed about trying baking with European flours, in particular with French flour or Italian flour. I've been reading that European flours are softer, treated with less chemicals, have less gluten, and, I just have to try them! What do you think about European flours? Which ones are considered the best or, at least, good to buy? 🙂 I've been looking at Amazon and some New York City specialty bakery shops that do sell European flour.
I made this a few weeks ago and I'm back to make it again. Nothing short of wonderful!
Thank you, Melanie! I am very happy to hear that!
Absolutely delicious! I made one with blackcurrant and instead of half-and-half used its substitute (1 tbsp melted butter plus enough milk to equal a cup). The whole thing was gone in less than 15 minutes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Tetyana, I've always wanted to make clafoutis and other desserts with black currants. But I can never find them, even at farmers market! I am sure your version was so delicious!
Hi Julia. Love ur recipe. Juz wondering what is half-and-half? I'm start to learn how to bake. Hihi
Here is a good link that explains what it is: http://bakingbites.com/2011/11/what-is-half-and-half/
These look beautiful and I have lots of fresh berries, perfect!
The food action shot made my day 😀 I love it!!! And this dessert sounds delicious and looks absolutely beautiful!!! I am German and like most Germans, I dislike overly sweet desserts or anything that's overly sweet so this is perfect.
Clafoutis are like all the best parts of cake and pudding combined. Throw in a generous handful of berries, and you've got yourself a knock-out dessert! Sounds perfect right about now.
I have always wanted to make clafoutis, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. This recipe sounds delicious!
I love clafoutis! This looks so rich with berries that make it so colorful and pretty.