Baked Fresh Cherry Custard Cake

By
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
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Updated on 03/1/22
Baked Cherry Custard

t sableaux / Getty Images

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
182 Calories
4g Fat
32g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 182
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 62mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 64mg 5%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 184mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This simple and delicious baked cherry custard cake recipe is made with dark, sweet cherries. They are baked in a creamy, eggy batter that produces a comforting dessert everyone will love.

This is a simple, rustic cake, inspired by the famous French dessert known as clafouti. It's easy to make and if you use frozen pitted cherries, it gets even simpler. 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, for greasing

  • 12 ounces fresh dark cherries, rinsed, patted dry, pitted

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1 1/4 cups milk

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1 pinch salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the oven to 350 F, butter a 2-quart baking dish, and set aside.

  2. Pour the cherries into the prepared dish and set aside.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt to form a light, thin batter.

  4. Pour the batter over the cherries, place in the heated oven, and bake 45 minutes, or until the cake is browned and puffed around the edges and the center is set.

  5. For best flavor, allow the cake to cool a bit so it won't burn the mouth, but is still quite warm. (Leftovers can be rewarmed in a microwave oven before serving.)

  6. Portion into bowls or dessert plates and serve plain or with your choice of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, custard sauce, or cherry sauce.

Recipe Variations

  • Instead of using dark, sweet cherries, try using tart pie cherries and increasing the sugar to 1 cup.
  • Try using other fruits including plums, peaches, pears, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
  • Before baking, sprinkle the top of the batter with a streusel topping.
  • After baking and once the custard has cooled to warm, dust it with confectioners' sugar.

What Is a Clafouti?

A clafouti (also spelled clafoutis) is a country-style dessert that originated in the Limousin region of South-Central France. It is a rustic, simple way to use seasonal fresh fruits and was originally made with unpitted dark tart cherries. In the States, Bing cherries, which are dark and sweet, are often used to make this dish and they are pitted.

Its name comes from the French word clafir, which means to "fill up," referring to the act of filling a baking dish with the fruit. Some French cooks add a little liqueur to the egg batter that is poured over the fruit.

While not traditional and purists would disapprove, these days, clafouti are made savory by eliminating the fruit and using bacon, cheese, and other ingredients.