Classic French Canelés
I’ve long admired those gleaming, fluted pastries at French cafés—the canelés (can-a-lay)— with their delicate, caramelized exterior that gives way to a soft, custardy center that’s rich with vanilla, dark rum, and sweet egg yolk. The contrast is what makes every bite so special, and celebrated by any French pastry enthusiast. Admittedly, I was intimidated for years to make them myself. I’d heard they required extraordinary effort, even something as elusive as beeswax, which I was certain I’d never find in a grocery store. I was inspired to finally try them after reading Mimi Thorisson’s recipe in her book A Kitchen in France.
Canelés were born in Bordeaux, France to use up extra egg yolks, canelés are all about contrast: a deeply caramelized, almost lacquered exterior giving way to a soft, custardy center perfumed with vanilla, rum, and warmth. The key is simple—an initial blast of high heat to caramelize the shell, then slower baking to set the custard.
When I finally tried them, I was surprised by how approachable they are. Yes, the special pan helps, but no beeswax is needed. Once I figured that out, these elegant little cakes quickly became a quiet favorite in my kitchen.
Ingredients for Classic French Canelés
2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons dark rum
How to Make Classic French Canelés
Infuse the milk by combining it with the vanilla seeds and pod in a small saucepan. Bring just to a boil, then remove from heat, stir in the butter and vanilla extract, and let steep for 5 minutes before discarding the pod. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Slowly pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to avoid lumps, straining if needed. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the rum until the batter is silky and smooth, resembling crepe batter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, ideally 24–48 hours, to develop the custardy interior.
Preheat the oven to 450°F and butter a 12-cup metal canelé mold. Fill each mold about two-thirds full. Bake at 450°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 360°F and bake for 50 more minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Baker’s Notes
For any home baker, the focus should really be on achieving the right texture—which comes down to exposing the batter to a high temperature at the start, then lowering the heat to gently bake the custardy center. It may take a couple of rounds to get a feel for how your own oven handles it. I always say it takes two or three batches of a new recipe to really understand how your oven behaves with certain ingredients.
Equipment
You definitely need the pan.
Chances are, you might already have everything you need to bake—but just in case, you can check out all my favorite baking essentials here in my ShopMy.
