There is a certain draw and charm to traditional French recipes.  Maybe it’s the simple recipes that speak of a simple life, or maybe it’s the excellence of the French methods.

I’m not really sure what it is, but I love these old quaint recipes from France! This recipe for plum clafoutis is no exception.  It’s simple, delicious and easy to execute.

Jump to:

• Why you will love this plum clafoutis recipe
• Tips
• Ingredients
• How to make plum clafoutis
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Substitutions
• Storage
• Equipment
• FAQ’s
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you will love this plum clafoutis recipe

Made with fresh summer fruit, this plum clafoutis recipe is light, fresh and full of flavor.  This is an easy recipe that is perfect for entertaining, and it can be made rather quickly!

It is served warm and looks beautifully rustic!  This is one of those recipes that goes wonderfully at a wedding shower, or for any gathering of friends.

Even though this recipe is simple and straightforward, it is a crowd pleaser that is fancy and full of class.

Tips

My only word of advice and caution for this recipe is to make sure not to over bake it. Closely follow the instructions on baking. While this recipe puffs up slightly while cooking, it will tend to sink at the end (totally normal).  If you overcook it, though, it will turn out tough and rubbery.

Ingredients

Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert that is made with fresh fruit, covered in batter and baked to perfection.  It is served with confectioners sugar dusting the top and is delicious when it is warm.  While there are many different versions out there that use all sorts of different fruits, we will be focusing on using fresh plums.

As I was reading an old French cookbook, I came upon another recipe that called for using prunes reconstituted in Armagnac or cognac called “Far Breton”. That certainly would be quite the twist to this recipe and I will expound on that more towards the end of this post under variations. But for now, we will focus on fresh plums.

Plums are actually one of my favorite fruits.  They are in season in mid-late summer and can either have a yellow flesh or a deep red flesh.  The skin can sometimes be quite tart.  The sweetness of the fruit also varies from being tart to quite sweet if it is more on the ripe side.  Depending on how sweet your plums are in this recipe, will determine how much sugar you will use.

Ingredients for plum clafoutis:

• Eggs
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh plums
• Whole milk
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Powdered sugar

How to make plum clafoutis

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Wash and prepare the plums by slicing them into wedges.  You will want to leave the skin on.  It makes for a beautiful, more rustic presentation and sticks to the intentions of a traditional French clafoutis recipe.  If your plums are on the tart side, sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of sugar and give them a mix.

Place the eggs and sugar in a medium size bowl.  Beat them together with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until it increases in volume, becomes frothy and slightly paler in color.  This is a very important step, don’t skimp on it! You need to make sure your eggs are properly aerated in order to get the lovely texture of the batter for which we are aiming.

Add the milk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Then beat in the flour and salt until it is combined and no clumps remain.

Now you need to choose what kind of dish you will use.  I love using a cast iron skillet for several reasons:

1. Presentation: I love the rustic presentation of serving this clafoutis in a cast iron skillet
2. Even cooking: Cast iron skillets evenly distribute the heat during the cooking process which makes for better baking.

A pie pan can easily be used also!

Butter the bottom and sides of the dish in which you have decided to bake the clafoutis. Take your prepared dish and evenly distribute the plums all over the bottom.  Pour the batter evenly over the top of the fruit and place it in the center of the oven.

After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking it for another 30-35 minutes.  The top should puff up towards the end of the cooking time, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when it is done.

After your clafoutis passes the toothpick test, pull it out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.  Your clafoutis will sink at this point.  They all do! Don’t worry!

Sprinkle it with powdered sugar before serving. Serve while warm.

Variations

As I stated previously, there is a boozy variation to this recipe!  The traditional Far Breton recipe calls for prunes soaked in Armagnac or Cognac.  Take 24 pitted prunes and place them in a medium saucepan with ½ cup of Armagnac or Cognac.  Simmer them for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquor is absorbed into the prunes and the prunes have plumped up.

Layer the baking dish and follow the same baking directions as stated in the recipe above.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe is best when served warm with coffee.  Do not serve it while it is too hot, you will want your clafoutis to set up in the pan before dishing it out.  Let it cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving and always serve with powdered sugar dusted on the top.

Substitutions

Any delicious summer berry or stone fruit can be used in this recipe.  Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pears, apricots and peaches are all formidable options that are delightful when used in this clafoutis recipe.

Storage

After it cools completely, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate.  It will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Equipment

• Electric mixer
• 9” pie pan or cast iron skillet

FAQ’s

What’s the difference between a Dutch baby and clafoutis?

A Dutch baby is more of a puffed-up pastry, similar to a pancake, where clafoutis sinks down and has more of a dense texture to it.

Is clafoutis similar to cobbler?

While both clafoutis and cobbler are made with fruit, they are really not similar at all in texture.  Clafoutis is made with an egg based batter that is like a custard that is baked with fresh fruit in it.  A cobbler has more of a breading as the batter as opposed to an egg based custard batter.

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