Frugal Foodie Mama: Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis

Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis...

Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis.


Okay, I know some of you all may be scratching your heads right now and wondering what in the world is a clafoutis?? Trust me- I was right there with you earlier this summer. I was noticing more and more of these clafoutis recipes popping up on recipe sites and fellow food blogs, but I found myself so intimidated by the "fancy" name that I just stopped right there. They all looked delicious and amazing, but I just didn't bother to take a look at the recipes. 

Let's face it- it is a French word and a French dish. French cuisine and baking always seems so fancy and involved. But there is another side to the French culinary world that originates more from their countryside- a rustic and easier style of cooking and baking. And though a clafoutis sounds refined and complicated, let me assure you all that it is far from being either one of those things. 

In fact when curiosity finally got the best of me and I checked out a clafoutis recipe or two, I wanted to kick myself for shying away from trying to make one of my own for so long. They are so, so easy to make, folks. But at the same time, they are rustically elegant.

A traditional clafoutis is usually made with just fresh cherries, but I just had to add to some dark chocolate chips to this recipe... because cherries and chocolate! Is there a more perfect dessert flavor combination? ;) I scored a bag of the Pacari Organic Chocolate Drops Raw 70% when I attended the Food & Wine Conference last month, and when I came up with the idea for this clafoutis I knew immediately that I would use them in this dessert recipe. 

Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis...

Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis.

Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis

by Frugal Foodie Mama
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour to 1 hour 12 minutes
Ingredients (Serves 8)
  • 1 1/4 cups almond milk (can use regular milk instead)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup Pacari Organic Chocolate Drops Raw 70% (or any good quality dark chocolate chips)
  • 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the almond milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour.
Pour a ¼ inch layer of the batter in a round baking dish or deep dish pie pan coated with cooking spray. Place in the oven until the batter firms up a bit, about 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the heat and place the cherries and chocolate chips evenly over the batter. Pour the rest of the batter evenly over top.

Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes to an hour. The clafoutis is done when it is puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Feel free to dust with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream. Cover tightly & refrigerate any leftovers.
Enjoy!

Adapted from this recipe for Berry Clafoutis from Honest Fare.

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As I mentioned above, I was introduced to Pacari Chocolate while attending the Food & Wine Conference in Orlando. In addition to allowing us bloggers to sample just about every chocolate they had on hand, Francisco walked us through the entire story of how and why Pacari Chocolate started. Working directly with small scale farmers, they have created the first single-origin organic chocolate made entirely in Ecuador. 

From the growing of the cacao beans to the production of their finished chocolate products, Pacari believes in only using socially and environmentally sustainable practices. And their dedication to and passion for what they do is definitely reflected in the chocolate that they make. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. 


Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis.



Sweet, fresh cherries are paired with deep, rich chocolate chips in a creamy custard-like cake in this easy to make Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis.


Although clafoutis is traditionally served as a dessert dish, I may or may not have had a slice of this Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis for breakfast a couple of mornings. I figured that it has almond milk, eggs, fresh cherries, and dark chocolate in it, so that it makes it totally okay for breakfast, right? And P.S., it pairs beautifully with a cup of deep roasted coffee. ;)

Have you ever had or made a claufotis before? 
Is there a certain dish or recipe that you find intimidating by its name alone & because of that you have never tried making it?

**I was provided a bag of Pacari Organic Chocolate Drops Raw 70% as a conference sample. I was not compensated for this post in any way and was not obligated to create a recipe using their product. I just love Pacari and wanted to share that with you all! :)


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