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Dessert & Baked Goods » Canelés

The creamy rum and vanilla-flavored batter for these individual French pastries must be chilled 24 hours. Worth it! The cold custard is baked in classic cylinder shapes that yield a darkly caramelized crust and tender center. Well-seasoned molds are helpful, but if you don't have beautiful heavy copper molds such as those Eliot Morgan owns, copper-plated tin or silicone can be used. The incredible flavors and contrast in textures are why Parisian patisseries have been driven to perfect this specialty since the 18th century.

Print Recipe

Makes 18 canelés

Ingredients

Batter (allow 24 hours for batter to chill)

2 large whole eggs
5 large egg yolks
2¼ cups sugar
4 cups milk
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp rum
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pastry flour
1 tbsp beeswax shavings

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment
fine-mesh strainer
immersion blender
copper, copper-plated, or silicone molds (appx. 2" x 2" x 2.5")
heatproof gloves

How-to

Mix Batter

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate, 1-2 minutes
Heat milk to a simmer over medium heat, and add butter to melt completely, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside
If your mixer comes with a splash guard, now is a good time to use it to prevent hot milk splashing from the bowl. Otherwise, slowly pour milk and butter mixture in a steady stream (so as not to scramble the eggs) into the egg mixture with the mixer on low speed
After ingredients are fully incorporated, add rum and vanilla extract
Add flour, increase speed to medium and mix in flour until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl
Pass batter though a fine-mesh strainer into a large container or bowl
Cover and refrigerate batter for 24 hours

Prepare Molds

Preheat oven to 400º
Season the molds with wax by placing on a sheet pan at least 2” apart. Drop a few flakes of beeswax in each mold. If your molds are new, add more beeswax. If your mold is not completely coated, the batter may stick
Put the sheet and molds in the oven to melt for 5-10 minutes
Using heatproof gloves, remove heated molds from the oven. Using a kitchen towel, wipe the wax all over the insides of each individual mold, coating evenly

Blend Batter & Bake

Remove chilled batter from the refrigerator
Using an immersion blender, reincorporate the separated batter. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a hand whisk. Blend until entirely incorporated
Transfer batter to a container with a spout - pitcher, measuring cup, etc. - for easy pouring and distribute among molds, filling to just below the tops
Bake for 80 minutes at 400º. There is no reliable test for doneness. What you are looking for is a caramel color on the canelé when it is removed from its mold. If the color isn't right, continue to bake. What makes a canelé special is the crispy, dark, somewhat shiny exterior. That will have to be checked often for the first several times for the new cook. After awhile, you get the timings right, but it is finicky, and the time will vary
Let canelés rest until they completely cool, about 60 minutes. Do not cover them while they retain heat of any kind or they will steam and lose their crispy exterior
Eat within a day for best flavor and texture

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Comments (1)

Posted Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 9:32 am by Lynne:

Easy batter. Just make sure your molds have enough melted wax (or a mix of melted wax & butter) to keep the batter from sticking. I also rotated the cookie sheet with the caneles on them every 15 minutes to help them cook evenly. So pretty & delicious.

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