A clafoutis (or clafouti as it is also spelled) is a rustic, traditional French cake. The texture is unlike a regular crumbly sponge, however – it’s more like a big, delightful, fluffy pancake. A pear clafoutis is delicious as a dessert, but also great for serving a crowd during brunch.
Tips to Make a Pear Clafoutis
The classic way to make this cake is with cherries – a perfect late-summer treat. However, it can be made a wide variety of ways with a variety of fruits; my personal favorite is with pears. Pears are in season in the autumn, so it’s the perfect time to bake one. You can’t simply set it and forget it, however – there are a few tricks necessary to pulling it off.
Rules for Success
Firstly, much like a crepe, the ingredients for a clafoutis should be combined in a blender. this gives the batter a wonderful aeration that keeps the cake light. This comes with the added bonus of easier cleanup!
Most importantly, you must make sure your cake pan or pie plate is heat safe. In other words: use a metal one. For ease of serving I recommend a springform pan, but you may also use a standard 9-inch cake or pie pan. Before you put the clafoutis in the oven, you will pour a thin (about 1/4 of an inch) layer of batter on the bottom and cook it like a pancake – without flipping. Much like a pancake, you will know it’s done when small bubbles appear across the batter. This ensures that the cake cooks all the way through properly, as the juice from fresh fruit will otherwise sink, creating the dreaded soggy bottom.
Pear Clafoutis Recipe
Pear Clafoutis Recipe
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler
- Paring Knife
- Cutting board
- Blender
- Wooden spoon
- 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large pears soft variety
- 1 ¼ c whole milk
- ⅓ c granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ c flour
- Butter or baking spray for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Peel and slice your pears. For fancy presentation, slice very thinly. If in a hurry, simply slice in halves or quarters. Set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Add all ingredients except the pears and buttter/spray to a blender. Cover and blend on high speed for 1 minute.
- Grease your springform pan.
- Pour about ¼ inch of batter into the bottom of your pan. Set it on a stove burner on medium heat and cook until the batter is set about 2 minutes. It will start to form bubbles all over.
- Remove the cake pan from the heat, and arrange the pears on top of the cooked batter. For halves, spread them face down in a circle. For thinner slices, arrange in a circular fan shape.
- Pour the rest of the batter on top of the pears. Smooth the top with a spoon. If the pears peek through, that’s alright.
- Place the cake the center of the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until nicely browned and a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving – the clafoutis will fall a bit. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Did you make this? Drop your feedback!
Leave a Reply