Clafoutis aux Pommes (French Apple Flan)
Experience the elegance of French baking right from the comfort of your kitchen with this effortless Clafoutis aux Pommes. Tender, brandy-kissed apples are nestled in a rich, custardy batter that bakes to a perfect golden puff. Served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, it is a stunning dessert that is deceptively simple to make!
The key to this French apple flan’s success lies in a clever stovetop step where a thin layer of batter is pre-set in the baking dish to create a seal. This ensures the juicy apples bake within the custard batter, not into a soggy bottom, guaranteeing a flawless texture from edge to center.
While this version highlights the warm, fall flavors of cinnamon and cardamom with apples, the simple batter is a perfect canvas for nearly any fruit you have on hand or prefer. You can use summer stone fruits to berries, making it a year-round treat!
What is a clafoutis aux pommes?
This Clafoutis aux Pommes is an elegant yet simple French dessert where tender, spiced apples are enveloped in a rich, custardy batter. The apples are first sautéed in butter with brandy (or rum) and warm spices, which deepens their flavor and adds a sophisticated aroma. The batter, a simple blend of milk, eggs, sugar, and flour, is quickly mixed in a blender for a light, airy texture.
The defining technique involves partially setting a base layer of batter on the stovetop to create a barrier against sogginess. Once baked, the French apple flan puffs up golden brown, creating a delightful contrast between the soft, fruity interior and the slightly cake-like edges. It is traditionally served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and can be beautifully complemented with a dollop of crème fraiche.
Ingredients needed to make clafoutis aux pommes
- Apples: Use crisp cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp. You’ll need about 3 cups of apple once they’ve been peeled, cored, and cut.
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and caramelizes the apples. I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baking.
- Alcohol: Apple brandy, dark rum, or cognac can be used in the apple mixture. The alcohol adds a deep, complex fruitiness and aroma, but you could use apple cider or juice for a non-alcoholic version.
- Spices: A combination of cinnamon and cardamon. These warm spices pair beautifully with the apple flavor.
- Sugar: Sweetens the mixture and helps caramelize the apples during cooking.
- Clafoutis: This is the rich custard-like batter which suspends the softened apples in this flan dessert. It’s made with milk for a tender base, sugar for sweetness and browning, eggs for a rich custard body, vanilla for aromatic flavor, salt to balance the flavors, and flour to provide ample structure.
How do you make this clafoutis aux pommes
Make the apple mixture:
- Cut your peeled and cored apples into lengthwise slices of ¼-inch thickness.
- Melt the butter until hot in a large skillet and add the apple slices to sauté until browned.
- Remove from the heat and add the alcohol, cinnamon, and sugar. Let the apples stand for an additional 30 minutes.
Make the clafoutis:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter an 8×8-inch baking dish or pyrex pie plate about 1 ½-inches deep. Set aside.
- Add the ingredients in the order listed into a blender and blend on high, covered, for 1 minute.
Assemble the French apple flan:
- Pour a ¼ inch layer of the fresh batter in the greased baking dish.
- Heat over medium-low on the stovetop for 1-2 minutes or until you see a film of batter set in the bottom of the dish.
- Remove the baking dish from the heated stovetop plate and spread the apple mixture over the set layer of batter.
- Pour the rest of the batter over the apple layer, creating a smooth surface with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
Bake and serve:
- Bake the assembled apple flan on the middle rack of the oven for an hour or until the clafouti batter has puffed and turned a golden brown.
- Serve your clafoutis aux pommes warm with a pretty sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Serving
Serve this clafoutis aux pommes warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, a dollop of freshly whipped cream or creme fraiche, or a scoop of this Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
This fall-inspired apple clafoutis recipe is special enough to enjoy for date night with a glass of wine or to treat your Thanksgiving dinner guests once the roast turkey and sweet potato casserole have had their time in the spotlight!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Keep leftover French apple flan in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days to maintain freshness. I don’t recommend freezing this dessert since the soft apples and custard batter can become mushy or soggy once thawed. You can warm leftover slices in the microwave or eat it cold from the fridge.
- Make ahead: You can make the apple mixture a day of two ahead of time and store it in the fridge, ready to be heated slightly to assemble with the batter just before popping it into the oven!
- Toppings: I love a light sprinkle of powdered sugar over this baked clafoutis aux pommes. You could also add toasted slivered almonds for a bit of crunch and sophistication.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based butter and dairy-free milk to make this apple clafoutis recipe dairy-free without sacrificing texture or flavor. Coconut milk or macadamia nut milk are deliciously creamy options. Of course, these substitutions may alter the flavor of the dessert slightly, but it’ll still be super delicious!
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free flour blend to make the batter if you want GF clafoutis aux pommes.
- Fruity twists: Experiment with other fruits. You can make this French flan with cherries, peach slices (for clafoutis peche), pear clafoutis, or your favorite berries.
- Cool slightly before serving: This dessert is best enjoyed while still warm, but the apples can be quite hot fresh out of the oven so it isn’t a bad idea to allow the French apple flan to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
- Best types of apples: Use Granny Smith apples for a tart contrast, Braeburn (firm with a sweet-tart balance), or Honeycrisp for a very crisp texture and sweet taste. These three types of apples are my top choices as they won’t turn into mushy applesauce during the initial sauté or the baking process.
- Pre-cook the base: Heating the first layer of batter on the stovetop creates a solid base that prevents juice from the apples from creating a soggy bottom. This crucial step ensures a perfectly textured clafoutis aux pommes from top to bottom and is well worth the extra effort for the flawless result.
- Test for doneness: You’ll know the clafoutis is done baking once the batter is puffed and brown, and a knife plunged into its center comes out clean.
- Alcohol-free: For an alcohol-free version, use apple juice or cider instead of the brandy, rum, or cognac.
For more mouth-watering French desserts, make sure to try homemade Lemon Souffle, Blueberry Galette, Olive Oil Peach French Pound Cake, or Gluten-Free Coconut Strawberry Crepes. My friend Zoe makes a good French Apple Tarte Tatin with puff pastry!
Or more comforting apple desserts you may want to try:
- Easy Apple Charlotte
- Rustic Apple Galette with Whipped Cream
- Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling
- Apple Cake with Custard Sauce
- Apple Puff Pastry Braid
Get the Recipe:
Clafoutis aux Pommes (French Apple Flan)
Ingredients
For the Apples:
Equipment
- Skillet
- 8×8 baking dish or Pyrex pie plate about 1 1/2 inches deep
Instructions
- Cut your peeled and cored apples into lengthwise slices of ¼-inch thickness.
- Melt the butter until hot in a large skillet and add the apple slices to sauté until browned.
- Remove from the heat and add the alcohol, cinnamon, and sugar. Let the apples stand for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter an 8×8-inch baking dish or Pyrex pie plate about 1 ½-inches deep. Set aside.
- Add the ingredients in the order listed into a blender and blend on high, covered, for 1 minute.
- Pour a ¼ inch layer of the fresh batter in the greased baking dish.
- Heat over medium-low on the stovetop for 1-2 minutes or until you see a film of batter set in the bottom of the dish.
- Remove the baking dish from the heated stovetop plate and spread the apple mixture over the set layer of batter.
- Pour the rest of the batter over the apple layer, creating a smooth surface with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Bake the assembled apple flan on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour or until the clafouti batter has puffed and turned a golden brown.
- Serve your clafoutis aux pommes warm with a pretty sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
