This bourbon-peach clafoutis is the perfect way to celebrate everyone's favorite summer fruit! Fresh peaches bake on top of a bourbon-spiked custard with a sprinkling of cinnamon to make one delicious summer dessert that will have everyone raving. Don't let peach season pass you by without making this easy French dessert.
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What Is Clafoutis?
Clafoutis is a custard-like tart baked with fruit — it is not a cake. This classic French dessert typically features fresh black cherries, but it’s endlessly versatile. You can bake this treat with other stone fruits besides peaches like we do here, such as plums, apricots or nectarines. Or you're welcome to branch out to other seasonal fruit favorites, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples or pears — you name it.
Once baked, clafoutis beautifully puffs up like a soufflé or Dutch baby pancake and features a creamy, luscious texture in every bite. At the same time, it’s not overly sticky sweet to make a truly perfect dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
That bourbon and peach flavor combination: Bourbon and peaches were made for each other. Bourbon features honey, vanilla and caramel notes with a touch of warm spice — all of which pair perfectly with peaches.
Simple yet impressive dessert: Clafoutis just might be the easiest dessert you’ll ever bake. If you can whisk ingredients, you can make clafoutis. But that can be our little secret. With that custardy texture, you will look like a master French baker when you serve this to guests.
Make ahead for easy entertaining: The clafoutis batter needs time to rest before baking, which means you can prepare this treat well in advance of guests arriving and then bake it right before serving so that it’s warm and fresh, right out of the oven.
Related: If you love this dessert, I bet you'll also love my peach Moscow Mule or peach martini on the side!
Ingredients
To ensure you make the absolute best peach clafoutis recipe, let’s chat about some ingredient notes.
Peaches: You can use fresh or frozen peach slices. I’ve used both, and you can’t go wrong with either option. Just thaw the peaches first.
Bourbon: Make sure you use a bourbon you’d be happy to drink. A mid-range bourbon, such a Maker’s Mark, is perfect.
All-purpose flour: This recipe has specifically been tested with all-purpose flour, which is my recommendation. I cannot vouch for other types of flour.
Whole milk: Make sure you use whole milk rather than a lower-fat variety. We’re making a custard here, and whole milk gives us the most luscious texture and richest flavor.
Cinnamon: Your typical cherry clafoutis features a powdered sugar dusting, but peaches and bourbon are wonderful with a touch of warm spice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We begin by whisking together the milk, eggs, bourbon, melted butter, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a large bowl (photo 1).
Step 2: Now we sprinkle the flour on top (photo 2) and whisk again to combine (photo 3). Some people prefer to use a blender to mix the batter, but I like having more control with a whisk. With our clafoutis batter prepared, we cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to rest or even overnight.
Step 3: We pull the batter out of the refrigerator and pour it into our baking dish, place peach slices on top and sprinkle with cinnamon (photo 3). Our dish is now ready to bake. I love to use a 10-inch cast-iron skillet for a more rustic look, but a pie plate also works nicely for a more elegant presentation.
After about 35-40 minutes, our bourbon-peach clafoutis is ready. The entire dessert will have puffed up and developed a lightly browned crust on the surface. All that’s left is to spoon onto plates and enjoy every delicious bite. Bonus points for serving with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
While clafoutis can be served hot, room temperature or cold, I recommend serving it warm, right out of the oven. The peaches come out nice and bubbly, and that warm, creamy custard just fills your happy belly for a comforting dessert when it’s perfectly warm. This is when clafoutis is at its best.
Yes, this step is non-negotiable because the flour’s gluten needs time to rest after whisking. Otherwise, you could end up with a rubbery clafoutis, and you don’t want that. On a positive note, this is what makes this dessert so great for entertaining — it needs to be prepared ahead of time.
I’ve seen temperatures range from 325-375 degrees F. However, I prefer to bake it at a low 325 degrees. Considering that we’re dealing with a custard, that more gentle heat helps keep it from curdling.
If you have any leftovers, store the clafoutis in an airtight container for three to four days. Since it’s a custard-based dessert, we definitely want to keep it refrigerated. To reheat, you can microwave it in short intervals until it’s heated to your liking.
Alternatively, you can cover it in foil and reheat in the oven just until warm, about five to 10 minutes. If you reheat in the oven, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes first, especially if you opted to bake it in a ceramic or glass dish. A hot oven can crack a cold baking dish.
Expert Tips
Use room-temperature large eggs: Room-temperature eggs incorporate into batters much better than cold eggs. Simply let the eggs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to mixing. If you forget this step, you can speed up the process by placing the eggs in warm — not hot — water for 10 minutes.
A little depuffing is normal: When the clafoutis immediately comes out of the oven, it will be extremely puffed up and then will deflate a bit after it cools for a few minutes. No need to fret here.
Let rest for five minutes and then serve: This gives the custard time to set, and it will still be nice and warm.
Perfect Pairing
I love a Belgian-style quad with this bourbon-peach clafoutis. Quads are high in ABV with sweet caramel notes, which is a great batch for the bourbon, and they come with a thick mouthfeel that stands up to the dense custard. As a bonus, I’ve enjoyed many Belgian-styles quads aged in bourbon barrels, so the two are a natural fit.
An oak-forward chardonnay is also a lovely match. The vanilla undertones from the oak are delicious with the peach, and that buttery texture of the chardonnay fits right in with the custard.
If you’re looking for a cocktail, you can’t go wrong with anything that includes both peaches and bourbon. Fortunately, I have two tasty options for you: a peach-maple bourbon smash or a peach-brown sugar mint julep.
For a summery take on a classic French country dessert, you will love this bourbon-peach clafoutis. It’s the perfect way to celebrate peach season in all its glory.
Cheers!
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Bourbon-Peach Clafoutis
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 10-inch cast-iron skillet or pie plate
Ingredients
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 peaches sliced
- Ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, sugar, bourbon, butter, vanilla and pinch of salt. Sprinkle flour over mixture and whisk until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees and pour custard batter into a greased 10-inch skillet or pie plate. Lay peach slices throughout the custard batter. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. The clafoutis is ready when it's puffy and set. Let it set for five minutes and then serve immediately while still warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- Room-temperature eggs incorporate into batters much better than cold eggs. Simply let the eggs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to mixing. If you forget this step, you can speed up the process by placing the eggs in warm — not hot — water for 10 minutes.
- When the clafoutis immediately comes out of the oven, it will be extremely puffed up and then will deflate a bit after it cools for a few minutes.
- If you have any leftovers, store the clafoutis in an airtight container for three to four days.
- To reheat, you can microwave it in short intervals until it’s heated to your liking. Alternatively, you can cover it in foil and reheat in the oven just until warm, about five to 10 minutes. If you reheat in the oven, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes first, especially if you opted to bake it in a ceramic or glass dish.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ann says
This was delicious! I had some fresh peaches to use up and made this. I love how creamy it turned out, and it had the perfect touch of bourbon.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks, Ann!
Amy Liu Dong says
Oh my gosh, this one was delicious and easy. I had some ripe peaches and was looking for something besides a cobbler. Turned out perfectly! Loved the bourbon addition.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Happy to hear that, Amy!
Luke says
This fruit tart with a custard combination makes the perfect dessert; we loved this recipe; the flavours of the peaches and bourbon are superb 🙂
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Elaine says
Oh wow, this dish is rocking it! Fantastic way to enjoy the peach harvest!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks, Elaine!
Stephanie Simmons says
This sounds absolutely amazing! Reminds me of a dutch baby (a german pancake!). I'll have to get one last bag of peaches and try this out!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I hear you! I'm trying to eat as many peaches as possible right now.
Chef Mireille says
the bourbon must add such an awesome flavor to this clafoutis. I love clafoutis - so quick and easy to put together
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Totally! The bourbon really is a nice addition. Adds such a nice depth.
Alexis says
Oh delicious! This looks simply amazing. I love when I can make a fancy dessert because I'm not a fancy chef at all. Going to be trying this one for sure.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks so much! It really is simple. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope you enjoy it!
Mirlene says
Idea! Idea! Idea! You just inspired me to make this for my brother in law. He is a bourbon fanatic. Pinning this to make later!!! Great desert for a small dinner party too.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Yay! Bourbon desserts are my favorite. Hope you both love it!
Jacqueline Debono says
When it comes to making dessert I need to keep it simple as am not much of a baker! I love your use of the phrase faux fancy!! This is definitely one for me to try! It looks and sounds delicious!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thank you! It’s a fun phrase. ?
Gloria says
Rustic desserts like this are right up my alley. Hubby love bourbon, so I know he would love this for dessert. Maybe I will surprise him on the weekend and make it for him.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Oh, that'd be a fun surprise! Hope y'all enjoy it.
Michelle says
I love boozy desserts and these peaches look really fresh. I think I will have to give it a go this weekend!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I hope you do!
Kelly Anthony says
Seriously can't wait to try this. I love peaches and I really love custard so this is the perfect dessert for me.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I’m eating every peach in sight right now. Hope you enjoy it!
Stine Mari says
I love the combination of peaches and bourbon, they work incredibly well together. And I'm with you on the faux fancy, 100 %. This recipe sounds and looks divine, I will definitely need to pin this for later. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You’re welcome! I feel like bourbon is a magical ingredient in so many desserts. ??
Adriana Lopez Martin says
How lovely, clafoutis is the best. I have made it with cherries the traditional way but using peaches and bourbon is also a fantastic idea. It is like the American version of a French classic. Nothing like enjoying seasonal flavors and now peaches are in season. Love it!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Right? Peaches are my favorite, and I’m never ready to let peach season go.