this recipe comes as an adaptation of a clafoutis recipe, I once worked with a dyslexic pastry chef who one day mixed up the numbers on his recipe card making a classic French clafoutis. when making the batter before service he doubled the amount of cherry liqueur and halved the amount of flour in the recipe.
The result although much more boozy, was very reminiscent of a type of cake that is popular at Belgian village fairs. a sweet pancake baked in a stone oven served with cream. a fond memory of my time in Flanders.
the pancake rises to incredible fluffy hights due to is high alcohol content, incredibly delicate and aromatic, but must be enjoyed immediately as it leaves the oven as its lower flour content leaves it unstable. similar to a classic soufflé.
the batter can be made up to 36 hours in advance, and benefits from at least 1 hour resting before it is used. any liqueur above 25% alcohol with do. we used home made flavours like elderflower, honey, plum, bilberry.
classic clafoutis flavours like Grand Marnier, Kirsch, coffee liqueurs will work great too.
unfortunately for your diet plans it is important to make at least 1 recipe which will make enough sponge for 12 people.
the addition of a fruit puree or pieces of fruit to the pan also work very well. apple and hogweed puree with woodruff icecream was a particularly memorable dish. simply spread a little apple sauce on the base of the pan or dish before adding the batter.
Liqueur sponge
6 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
150g sugar
375g cream
75g liqueur
150g white flour
40g butter
to make the batter
foam butter in a small pan, reduce the temperature and stir until turns a golden brown. remove from the heat until required.
in a kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment place whole eggs, yolk and sugar and whisk until white stiff and tripled in volume.
reduce the speed to low and slowly incorporate the cream and liqueur.
remove the bowl from the mixer and finally add browned butter and flour folding gently by hand to keep as light as possible.
place mix in the fridge for 1 hour.
to serve.
pre heat oven to 200 degrees C
in a shallow frying pan or oven dish ladle enough batter to fill the bottom of the pan/dish by 1 cm.
bake until gold and fluffy, between 14 and 20 minutes depending on your oven.
serve immediately with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy while hot.
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