Cherry-Almond Cake (Clafoutis)—Gluten-Free
The French call this dessert a Clafoutis, which is a flan-like dish featuring black cherries. Traditionally, the clafoutis is served lukewarm. While this unusual dessert or brunch dish is relatively high in fat, most of the fat comes from the almonds, which also provide fiber.
- 1 tbsp. butter, preferably organic
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen cherries, pitted (approx. 2 cups), preferably organic
- ¾ cup raw almonds
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ½ cup whole milk, preferably organic
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour (ground from ¼ cup gluten-free rolled oats)
- 1 ½ tsp. almond extract
- ¼ tsp. salt (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°. Coat a 9-inch round baking dish with the softened butter. Place the cherries in the buttered baking dish.
Grind the almonds in VitaMix or food processor until they reach the consistency of corn meal.
Beat together the ground almonds, sugar, milk, eggs, almond flour, oat flour, almond extract, and salt until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter over the cherries. Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving. Best served lukewarm.
Makes 8 servings. Each serving provides 175 calories, 6 g protein, 11 g fat (2 g sat), 85 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrate (including 10 g sugar & 3 g fiber), 70 mg calcium, 50 mg magnesium, 45 mg sodium, 240 mg potassium.
NOTE: This recipe was adapted from our book FOOD FOR THOUGHT—Healing Foods to Savor. This version is gluten-free and much lower in sugar.