Clafoutis is the cobbler-style summer dessert taking Instagram by storm

If you’re weary of baking the same old mug cakes, step up your quarantine baking with something a little fancier. Instagrammers are currently obsessing over the French dessert called Clafoutis, which has a superb crumb base and can be made with pantry ingredients.

Clafoutis is a French baked dessert usually made along the lines of a stuffed cobbler, featuring a dense fruit stuffing. It’s very similar to open pancakes in terms of concept, but has a denser, custardy texture. It’s a polished take on a cobbler or a fruit pie, and is actually a better summer dessert because you can throw in more than one seasonal fruit be it blueberries or kiwis. It’s also a great option for a family-style breakfast, because unlike cheesecake or fruit-based pies, it has an easier, more palatable density, like a somewhat denser souffle.

Ideally you should bake a clafoutis  in a cast iron skillet, but frying pans work as well, although round pans can mess with the edges of a clafoutis. The dessert is usually served warm , like pie, often accompanied with dusted sugar and ice cream. Here’s a recipe for a Blackberry lavender white chocolate clafoutis, which can be prepared with ingredients already there in your kitchen.

Blackberry lavender white chocolate clafoutis

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon dried lavender (use another tablespoon for more flavor)

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pinch kosher salt

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups fresh blackberries

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 10 inch baking dish with softened butter.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar and lavender and pulse until ground. Remove half of the lavender sugar and set aside. To the blender, add the milk, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle over the blackberries and white chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining lavender sugar evenly over top.

3. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and puffed on the edges. The clafoutis will sink as it cools. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.