The cherry season is here, and that means only one thing - we're baking clafoutis!

You have probably already come across a cake with the interesting name - clafoutis - in a magazine dedicated to gastronomy or in a cookbook or portal. Already from the writing, it is clear that it is a French recipe, but if we take a closer look at the ingredients and the method of preparation, we could hardly call it a cake.

Clafoutis is not a true dessert - it is only slightly more demanding than a pancake, so even a child can prepare it. A handful of flour, a little bit of milk or sweet cream, 2 eggs, a little sugar and of course - cherries will be enough. It is a humble recipe, but the end result will delight even the most demanding taste buds.

In terms of ingredients, it is very reminiscent of the cake of our childhood, which our mothers and grandmothers prepared for us using glasses for measures - the biggest difference is that here the yolks are separated from the whites, and they are whisked into a 'snow'.

The recipe originates from the French province of Limousin, and its name is often the subject of numerous linguistic and etymological debates. According to some, its name comes from the Occitan dialect where the word clafir or claufir means 'filling'. Another school of thought believes that the name clafoutis comes from the Latin clavum fingere, which means 'to drive a nail', and this, in turn, refers to the cherries that are 'pecked' into the batter.

An interesting part of the preparation of clafoutis is that the cherries are not pitted before they are 'pecked' into the dough. Namely, French housewives, and then also chefs who prepare it in the finest restaurants, believe that it is the roasted cherry pits that are responsible for the special taste of this cake.

In some versions, the basic recipe is enriched with finely ground almonds, and some recipes call for bitter almond extract. Likewise, apart from cherries, you can put various other seasonal fruits, cut into pieces, in the clafoutis. These are most often apricots or plums, but peaches will also work great.

Clafoutis is best served lukewarm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a bit of whipped cream. Enjoy!