Vegan Cherry Clafoutis

Cherry season is almost here, and this vegan cherry clafoutis makes the most of the fresh fruit in a simple but special French dessert cake.

Clafoutis is part-way between a cake and a set custard, and this version has a cake-like top and a custard base. Some vegan clafoutis recipes feature silken tofu but, while tofu works in some desserts, this is one of those occasions where I think it’s an interloper. Most cakes that require a creamy, smooth custard centre can be made with cashews and cornflour, and that’s what I’ve used here. The creamy flavour of cashews is the perfect complement to the cherries, vanilla and almonds.

This recipe actually began life as a vegan translation of Keith Floyd’s auvergne cherry cake. Keith Floyd was an inspirational cook (for those who don’t remember his TV shows and books) but not known for his veggie leanings, and the original recipe relied heavily on eggs and dairy, neither of which appear here.

Fresh cherries are expensive, but clafoutis really showcases them. The more flavourful the cherries, the better, and you can soak them overnight in a spoonful of kirsch or amaretto for a more sophisticated, still traditional, version.

vegan cherry clafoutis…

ingredients

• 300 g fresh cherries
• 60 g cashew nuts
• 30 g ground almonds
• 110 g self-raising flour
• 20 g cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt (no more than 1/8 tsp)
• 80 g granulated sugar, plus a bit extra for sprinkling
• zest of around a quarter of a small lemon
• 30 g soft vegan margarine, plus a bit extra for greasing the dish
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp almond extract
• optional – 1-2 tbsp kirsch or amaretto to soak the cherries

method

1. If you are soaking the cherries in liqueur, prepare them several hours in advance. Ideally, they should be pitted whole, but you can also halve them to remove the stones (as I did with the pictured clafoutis).
2. You will also need to soak the cashew nuts in advance. Simply cover them with boiling water in a jug or bowl. Leave them to cool, then drain them, place them in a blender and add 190 ml of fresh water. Blend until you have a very smooth, creamy cashew milk. Depending on how powerful your blender is, this may take anywhere from half a minute to maybe two minutes.
3. Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and lightly grease the base and sides of a flan dish with margarine before sprinkling it with a little sugar (a couple of teaspoons should be enough). The pictured cake was made in a 10″ dish, but a 9″ dish/tin would be fine.
4. Melt the 30 g of margarine and add this to the cashew milk together with the vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk to combine.
5. Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
6. Add the ground almonds, sugar and lemon zest to the flour and whisk or stir to distribute everything.
7. Pour the cashew mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring as you go, then tip in the cherries and continue stirring gently until everything looks evenly combined. if you have soaked the cherries, don’t add too much excess soaking liquid. A tablespoon or so should be fine.
8. Transfer the batter to the pan. Even out the distribution of the cherries if necessary.
9. Bake for around 35 minutes until it has risen and is a rich golden colour all over. It will puff up and then settle back down a bit like a quiche.
10. Leave it to sit for at least half an hour. Sprinkle with another teaspoon or two of sugar before serving.
11. Clafoutis is usually served warm, but it is also good cold.

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