Clafoutis Limousin (Black cherry clafoutis) (French)

A clafoutis is a very easy to make French dessert (or cake, though I would hesitate to really label it cake with a very firm hand) made by putting some fruit in a baking dish, covering it with pancake batter and baking it until completely cooked. The result is s not-too-sweet cake-y confection with an interesting fluffy texture (from the low quantity of flour and the high quantity of eggs) and the perfect feel of comfort food. 
The name of this dessert actually comes from clafir, a dialect word meaning "to fill", and it's a perfect way to describe the warm feeling you get from eating a slice of it. :) You can make clafoutis using many kinds of fruit, as long as it's on the small(er) side: try for instance berries, strawberries, apricot halves (I'd say peach halves are too big), grapes and so on. 
This one here is one of the most traditional versions of clafoutis, originating from rural southern central France. It uses black cherries (a fruit we also love in Romania, especially in jams) and a little addition of Kirschwasser or cherry liquor for extra flavor. Enjoy. :)
Recipe source: Saveur.

Last year: Creamy banana, walnut and mascarpone cake.
Two years ago: Dark chocolate and red wine cake.
Three years ago: baby making and no cooking. :)




Ingredients (for a 23 cm or 9 inch cake form):

• 1 tablespoon softened butter for greasing the pan
• 280 ml milk (1 and 1/4 cups) (whole fat, preferably)
• 6 eggs
• 6-7 tablespoons sugar 
• 2 tablespoons kirsch (or some other cherry liquor)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 94 g flour (3/4 cup)
• 250 g black cherries, preferably pitted
• some powder sugar to sprinkle before serving 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Grease the baking dish with the butter. 

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and milk. Add the cherry liquor and the vanilla and the pinch of salt. Gradually mix in the flour.

Pour the batter in the prepared baking tin. Gently arrange the cherries in it, careful not to move the dish too much after this point (you don't want the fruit to go all in one side of the pan from any sudden movements).

Carefully put the whole thing in the preheated oven and bake it for 30-35 minutes.

Take out and let it cool for a couple of minutes (it will also deflate a bit during cooling).

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with powder sugar. Serve warm. It's done, dig in! :)