Sugar-Free Clafoutis (Low-Carb, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)

In need of an easy and quick sweet treat? It takes only ten minutes to put this sugar-free clafoutis together, and under ten ingredients. Make it with sweet cherries, tart cherries, or experiment with other seasonal fruits.

Ingredients of a sugar-free and gluten-free clafoutis

Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert that can be prepared last minute. Usually made of eggs, milk and heavy cream, sugar, and flour, this dessert is surprisingly easy to transform into a gluten-free, lectin-free, sugar-free and even dairy-free cake.

You only need a few common and accessible ingredients to make a healthier clafoutis:

• pastured eggs
• coconut cream
• almond flour
• a plant paradox compliant sweetener (I used inulin powder)
• fresh cherries (frozen cherries can also be used and it can be made with other fruits too)
• salt, vanilla, and if you want that intense almond taste, add pure almond extract (I love the intense almond taste, but I only use it if I find a pure almond extract).

Of all the gluten-free flours, almond flour is the most natural for this cake, as it is always part of the original recipe. But, if you can’t have nuts, cassava flour can be used. It will need about 2/3 cup of cassava flour, to get a thicker batter. And if you use cassava flour instead of almond flour, make sure you add pure almond extract, to give it the specific almond flavor.

How to make it

• Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a round baking dish of about 7 inches in diameter, or something equivalent in any shape. Thick glass is great, pie dish, or even a cast iron. The dish should be coated with coconut oil.
• Add the eggs, coconut cream, sweetener, salt and vanilla, and almond extract, if using, to a mixing bowl and whisk until all creamy.
• Add the almond flour and combine until all is incorporated. You should get a thick, fluffy, and creamy batter.
• Pour the batter into the greased dish, level, and place the cherries on top, slightly pushing them down into the batter. They just need a little space in between.
• Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

This type of cake is more like a dutch baby pancake and is usually eaten warm and sometimes with cream. It has a flan-like texture; I almost felt it was like a cheesecake (I don’t eat cheese so maybe it’s me dreaming of a cheesecake 😃).

The cakes I make are usually not very sweet, so if you think you have a sweet tooth, add more sweetener. You can also sprinkle more on top.

The texture and consistency

Usually, the clafoutis batter is very thin, but I don’t feel it will work in this case. The final consistency should be similar to that of a flan or custard, that’s why a thin batter works in the traditional version.

But in this gluten-free and sugar-free version, I feel we need a batter a little bit thicker so the cake doesn’t come out too moist.

The cherries

There are two schools when it comes to the clafoutis. One prefers the whole cherries, with the pits, and the other without. The reason behind the whole cherry tribe is that this way, the cherries will not let their moisture run out. Which makes sense to me, but I wouldn’t want to encounter pits while I’m enjoying my sweet treat. You can try either.

Use a cherry pitter to get the pits out.

Some cover the bottom of the dish with cherries and then pour the batter on top. I poured the batter first and arranged the cherries on top, gently pushing them down into the batter. Either way would work.

Frozen cherries will release more moisture than fresh ones, so make sure the batter is not too thin if you use frozen cherries.

This lectin-free, sugar-free clafoutis can be easily sliced, but I love having it straight from the baking dish. That’s a nice sharing dessert or weekend breakfast if your family loves to share.

A nut-free version of the lectin-free, sugar-free clafoutis

Some of you are always asking about nut-free versions, and that’s super easy with this cake. Use cassava flour, but you will have to add slightly more flour, about 2/3 cup. The batter should not be too soft.

More fruit cake recipes

For more fruit cake ideas, check out these recipes:

• Coffee Cake with Fresh Figs and Hazelnuts
• Rhubarb Breakfast Cake (can me made with any fruits)

For a similar idea, but executed differently, check out this recipe:

• Citrus Infused Dutch Baby Pancake With Apples

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