This fluffy cherry pancake has crispy toasted almonds scattered over the top and tastes amazing served warm or at room temperature for a special brunch item or fruit dessert. It bakes in the oven in just 20 minutes.
One of my all-time favorite flavor combinations is fresh cherry and almond. I've used this pairing several times, you'll find it in my almond cherry coffee cake, my very favorite cherry crisp, and my easy cherry pie.
This cherry pancake recipe takes that combo up a whole other notch and features almond extract in the batter AND in crispy toasted almonds scattered over the top.
This is by far one of my best fresh cherry recipes ever and I hope you get the chance to try it on your family soon.
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What is a Dutch Baby Pancake or Clafouti?
Traditional American pancakes are made from a sweet batter that has been griddled on the stovetop and flipped over with a spatula to brown both sides.
A Dutch Baby pancake, or a clafouti, is made from a very similar batter but is poured into a piping hot skillet and then baked all at once in the oven. You slice it like you would a cake or pie before serving it.
The cooking method causes the batter to puff up and turn a delicious golden brown color and is a stunning presentation for a special weekend brunch.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients to make this recipe are probably in your pantry and fridge right now:
- Fresh Cherries: It is important to use fresh cherries, not cherry pie filling. I pit and freeze fresh cherries so I can bake with them all year long. If you choose to use frozen cherries, simply thaw them before proceeding with the recipe.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Milk: It is ok to use 2% or whole milk, fat free milk will not give the batter the same texture of flavor.
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Lemon Juice
- Sliced Almonds
- Cinnamon
- Powdered Sugar
Preheat the Oven & Skillet
The very first thing you should do is preheat your oven to 425°F with a 12-inch oven safe skillet on the center rack.
You could use a cast-iron skillet or a stainless steel skillet. This is the one I have and I LOVE it. It is one of my favorite kitchen tools ever.
The skillet needs to preheat and get piping hot before you add the pancake batter.
Let it warm through while you prepare the cherries and batter.
Prepare the Cherries
When I made this recipe, I decided to leave the cherries whole because I love that stunning burst of fresh cherry flavor in each bite.
You could actually use a batch of my roasted cherries in this recipe but be warned the juices will turn the batter a pretty shade of pink.
If you want to spread the cherries out throughout the batter a little more, you can slice them in half before adding them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
Toss the cherries with lemon juice and almond extract. Then sprinkle the flour and cinnamon over the top. Toss to coat and set them near the stovetop.
Prepare the Batter
Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a batter bowl until smooth.
Add the flour and salt and whisk them in.
Add the heavy cream and milk and whisk until smooth.
Set the batter near the stovetop next to the bowl of prepared cherries.
Assemble and Bake the Pancake
Use oven mitts to take the very hot skillet from the oven and carefully place it on the stovetop.
Add the pat of butter and move it around the pan as it melts so the entire bottom of the skillet is coated.
Pour the prepared batter into the skillet. Then scatter the cherries over the top.
Use the oven mitts to return the skillet to the oven and bake the cherry pancake for about 20 minutes or until the batter has puffed up and turned a gorgeous golden brown.
HALF WAY THROUGH BAKING:
About half way through baking, rotate the skillet half way so it browns evenly on all sides and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the pancake so they can toast while the dish finishes.
If you add the almonds right away at the start, they will burn. They only need a few minutes at the end to get toasted and delicious.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the baked cherry pancake as a delicious brunch item in place of individual pancakes.
Slice it like you would a cake or pie and serve it warm with a dusting of powdered sugar over the top.
You can also serve what is called a "cherry clafouti" as a sweet fruit dessert. This airy French recipe tastes amazing served at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
However, I don't think I could resist a warm slice of cherry clafouti served fresh from the oven with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
More Fruit Desserts
Fruit desserts are my favorite way to embrace the season and highlight the freshest flavors available at the moment.
Every summer, my family dives in on my easy southern style peach cobbler or fresh strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.
My mom's favorite dessert is a lemon meringue tart for her birthday and is it even fall if you don't have a solid apple slab pie to turn to for a special meal?
More Cherry Recipes
We get a giant 10-pound box of fresh cherries from my husband's cherry orchard-owning uncle every summer so I know a lot about using up a ton of fresh cherries!
Here are a few of my favorite cherry recipes:
📖 Recipe
Cherry Pancake with Almonds
Ingredients
For the Cherries
- 1 ½ pounds fresh cherries pitted
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tsp flour
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Pancake Batter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup milk
For the Pan
- 1 tablespoon butter
For Sprinkling on Top
- 3 tablespoon sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with a 12-inch oven safe skillet on the center rack so the pan has a chance to warm through.
- Pit the cherries and either leave them whole or slice them in half and add them to a medium size mixing bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and add the almond extract. Toss to coat. Add the flour and cinnamon to the cherries and toss to coat again. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together in a batter bowl until smooth. Add the flour and salt and and whisk until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream and milk and whisk until smooth.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Add the tablespoon of butter and use a cooking spoon to help move the butter pat around so the entire bottom of the pan is coated.
- Pour the prepared batter into the skillet. Scatter the cherries over the top. Quickly place the pan back into the oven and bake the cherry pancake for 20 minutes or until it has puffed and turned golden brown.
- Rotate the pan half way through baking. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top when you turn the pan so they can toast while the dish finishes baking.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
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