Ingredients

   
570g sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
3 large eggs
65g AP flour
100g granulated sugar (+ 25g for topping)
297g whole milk
33g heavy cream
8g vanilla extract
1g almond extract (optional)
2g salt
15g unsalted butter (for skillet)
  powdered sugar for dusting

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 10¼-inch cast iron skillet (Field No. 8) generously.

  2. Spread pitted cherries in a single layer in the skillet.

  3. In a blender, combine eggs, flour, 100g sugar, milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

  4. Pour batter over the cherries. Sprinkle remaining 25g sugar evenly over the top.

  5. Bake 40–50 minutes until puffed, golden, and set in the center (a slight jiggle is fine — it sets as it cools).

  6. Cool 10–15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Analysis

Total batter weight: 656g (cherries, skillet butter, and dusting sugar excluded)

Component Amount %
Structure solids (flour) 65g 9.9%
Fat (cream, milk, yolk) 38g 5.8%
Sugar (added + lactose) 115g 17.5%
Liquid (milk, cream, vanilla, egg water) 420g 64.0%
Egg/protein 18g 2.7%

This is a thin pourable custard batter, not a cake batter — liquid is very high (~64%) and structure low (~10%), which is why it bakes into a tender flan-meets-popover rather than a crumb. Two eggs per cup of milk keeps it set-but-not-rubbery; the egg gives a brief puff that deflates on cooling. Swapping 10% of the milk for cream nudges fat up for a silkier set without thickening the batter.

Notes

  • Traditionally made with unpitted cherries — the pits release a subtle almond flavor during baking. If using unpitted, warn your guests. Pitting is safer and more pleasant to eat.
  • Washington Rainier or Bing cherries are in season June–July. Hit the farmers markets in Pike Place, U-District, or Ballard.
  • The batter is essentially a thin crepe/pancake batter poured over fruit and baked into a custard. Don’t overthink it.
  • Tested in the Field No. 8 and these ratios are dialed in. The only change from the base Serious Eats/Lebovitz formula: 10% of the milk swapped for heavy cream (297g milk + 33g cream) for a slightly richer, silkier set.
  • A cast iron skillet is ideal — it heats evenly and gives the edges a beautiful crisp. The Field No. 8 (10¼”) fits this recipe perfectly. Enameled cast iron or a stoneware/ceramic dish avoids the acidic cherries stripping a raw skillet’s seasoning.
  • Kirsch (cherry brandy) can replace the almond extract for a more traditional version — use 15g.
  • Works with other stone fruit: plums, apricots, peaches. Also berries (blueberries, raspberries). But cherries are the classic.
  • Best eaten same day. Leftovers are fine cold for breakfast the next morning.
  • The center will puff dramatically in the oven, then deflate as it cools. This is normal — it’s not a soufflé, it’s a custard.