What is a Canelé and where does it come from?
A canelé has a soft, somewhat bread-like custardy interior with a deeply caramelized, crunchy exterior. Typically rested overnight, its flavor deepens and develops. Its combination of textures makes this my all-time favorite for a custard-based pastry. It’s really simple to make. 1-Make the custard, 2-Rest overnight, and 3-Bake!
The ingredients couldn’t be simpler – but you do need a special pan, which I’ve linked in the recipe.
The Canelé comes from the Bordeaux region of France, and it is often called Canelé de Bordeaux. It is traditionally baked in small cylindrical fluted molds, usually made of copper. This could be where the name comes from – ‘Cannelure’ (French), meaning fluting, corrugation, striations.
Beeswax was traditionally used to line the molds and is still used today. Many use a mix of beeswax and melted butter, or just butter (like me).
History of Cannelés
The history is interesting – as is common with these old recipes, attribution of the original recipe is hard to find. As with many French recipes, especially ones with eggs, it is possible it originated at a convent in the 15th or 18th century. There are records of canaule (or canaulé or canaulet) around the 18th century, which could be the same thing.
Canelés kind of disappeared at some point, but reappeared in the early 1900s. The pastry chef who re-popularized the recipe (of canauliers) added vanilla and rum.
Canelés de Bordeaux or Cannelés de Bordeaux?
This pastry can be spelled as Canelés (de Bordeaux) or Cannelés (de Bordeaux). The Brotherhood of the Canelé of Bordeaux (Confrérie du Canelé de Bordeaux) have it spelled with one ‘n’ and it kind of became its own “brand.” However, some notable bakeries in Paris spell it as Cannelés.
Canelés Recipe
What is in a Canelé?
You might be shocked at the simplicity of ingredients for Canelés de Bordeaux:
- Milk
- Butter
- Flour (I use Bread Flour)
- Eggs (and heavy cream in my recipe)
- Sugar
- Flavors like Vanilla, Rum, or in this case, Blood Orange Zest and Juice
How do you make Canelés?
You might also be shocked at how easy Canelés are to make.
- Make the batter by bringing the milk and butter to a boil
- Mix egg with sugar and flour
- Mix all together, add flavor. Cover and rest overnight.
- Butter the molds and bake!
Do I need a special mold for this Canelés Recipe?
Yes, you do need a special mold for the traditional shape. You can use the mold for many other cakes and things as well! I haven’t tried this recipe with any other types of molds, so if you do, let me know how it turns out!
Although they are traditionally made with copper molds, I personally have yet to buy some due to cost. Instead, I use a non-stick pan with 12 cavities. I grease mine with softened butter.
Storing Canelés
Canelés are best enjoyed as close to the bake time as possible, and preferably on the same day they are baked (the crust begins to soften). However, you can always refresh them in the oven at 300 Fahrenheit / 150 Celsius for a few minutes. An air fryer would also work (temperature depend on your air fryer).
References: Wikipedia | Canele: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canel%C3%A9
French Canelés Recipe (Vanilla and Blood Orange)
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Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 250 ml Milk
- 15 g Butter
- 15 g Heavy Cream for added fat & richness
- 1 Egg large
- 65 g Flour (Bread) All-purpose flour is also OK
- 50 g Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Paste
- 1/2 Blood or Regular Orange Juice and zest
- Softened butter to grease the molds
Instructions
- Bring the milk, heavy cream, butter and about 1 tsp of orange zest to a boil in a small saucepan.250 ml Milk, 15 g Butter, 15 g Heavy Cream, 1/2 Blood or Regular Orange
- Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the egg, flour and sugar in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl.1 Egg, 65 g Flour (Bread), 50 g Sugar
- Add the boiled milk little by little to the egg mixture, whisking constantly.Start slow and whisk constantly. You want to temper the mixture, not scramble the eggs.
- Add the vanilla and juice from the half of the orange. Strain into another bowl or pitcher and cover.Straining it will remove the zest and and any small pieces of cooked egg.1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Paste
- Put the covered batter in the fridge overnight (at least 12 hours).The batter can rest anywhere between 12-48 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 475 Fahrenheit or 250 Celsius. Liberally butter the Canelés molds with softened butter. Using a pastry brush to butter the molds. Note: Check the max temperature allowance for your mold/pan. Some may only go up to 450F, so just pre-heat to the maximum allowed (if not 475F).
- Take the batter out of the fridge and whisk a couple of times in case of settling. Pour into the molds to about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F / 175C and bake for another 55-60 minutes.
- Remove the Canelés from the mold immediately and cool. You can flip them out onto a wire rack or counter. You may need to tap the molds to release them. If the bottoms are still light, put them back in the mold and bake again for a few more minutes.
Notes
- If you want to double the recipe, double all of the ingredients except the egg and replace the heavy cream with 1 full egg yolk instead. So, a doubled recipe will have 1 egg + 1 egg yolk (and no heavy cream).
- Mix the egg yolk with the whole egg, sugar, and flour, and continue as normal.
Just wanted to make sure, when doubling the recipe, we use 2 full eggs + an egg yolk? Or 1 full egg + an egg yolk?
I’m sorry for the delay and it is the latter, 1 full egg + an egg yolk. I will update the notes to make it clearer. Thank you!
Ah, thank you! I’ve been baking these, one batch at a time, and I must say they have never failed me!
They’re delicious! I am planning on making some Christmas season flavored ones here soon. So glad you’ve enjoyed!