Canelé are delicious French small pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust, that taste Rum and Vanilla. You can't escape them in you visit France!
About this recipe
I didn't know those little wonderful canelés until I went to French Pastry school.
Although I grew up in France, I never saw those little canelés as they are mostly known in the south west of France (Bordeaux)
A dessert I learned and instantly loved while studying Pastry.
A recipe I learned from a top French Pastry Chef !
Source of the recipe
Saint-Emilion and my canelés molds
My first canelé that I ate was in Saint-Emilion, a charming town close to Bordeaux
and it's in Saint-Emilion that I also bought my canelés molds in this pastry shop that also sells molds:
Pâtisserie Lemoine
9 Rue du Clocher
33330 Saint-Émilion
If you can, do visit Bordeaux and the vineyards
Bordeaux and my canelés cooking class
This is Bordeaux, the town where I first learned to bake Canelés
Beautiful town that is charming night and day...
Origin of the recipe
According to the legend, canelés were started during the landing of the boats of flour on the quays of Bordeaux coming from the French indies, bringing ingredients such as Rum and Vanilla. and that by the 18th century the nuns of the convent of Annonciades, in Bordeaux, (now convent of the Mercy), created the recipe. During the recent remodeling of this convent, archaeological searches took place. Among the numerous objects found from the appropriate time period, nothing looked like a canelé mold.
Correct spelling : Canelé or Cannelé?
There's been some controversy about the correct spelling, however the Confrérie du Canelé de Bordeaux has stated that the word must be spelled «canelé» with only one 'n'. The spelling "cannelé" is still prevalent to this day.
1. Use the point or edge of the knife to scrape the seeds loose from the pod
2. Combine the Vanilla Beans, the Butter (2 Tablespoons or 25 g) and the Whole Milk (1 Cup or 250 g) together in a saucepan
3. Cook and use a thermometer to check the temperature, and remove from the stove when the temperature reaches 180 °F / 80 °C
4. Transfer to a new bowl and add the Cream (½ Cup or 100 g)
5. Let the batter cool down, for 20/30 minutes
Scanpan Saucepan
Large Mixing Bowls, Stainless Steel
6. Start by sifting the Flour (⅔ Cup or 95 g)
7. Then add to the bowl: the Sugar (1 Cup or 210 g), the Eggs (2 Tablespoons or 60 g), the Egg Yolk (1 teaspoon or 10 g) and the Spiced Rum (2 Tablespoons or 30 g)
Sifter for Baking
Large Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainer
8. The Spiced Rum you choose does make a difference. Should you choose the wrong Spiced Rum, and your canelés won't taste as expected...
9. "Ravel Gastronomie" : To purchase online, see HERE
How to beat the batter
10. Do NOT use the whisk, as it would incorporate too much air into the batter !
11. If you are using a stand mixer (kitchen aid type), do not use the "leaf" either, for the same reason
12. If you are using a stand mixer, the right attachment to use is the hook. Otherwise, you can mix the ingredients by hand, using a spatula
13. Mix all those ingredients : Either with the kitchen aid with the hook, or by hand using a spatula
KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer
Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer
14. Pour the liquid
15. Your batter is ready
16. Cover with plastic wrap
17. Use a plastic or glass container
Pyrex Glass Bakeware 
Glass Baking Dish with Lid
Step 2: Resting time
18. Place the batter in the freezer for 12 hours minimum
19. Then, transfer the batter to the refrigerator for 24 hours
Step 3: Cooking
20. The best molds are made of copper, which are more expensive than the molds made in silicon
21. Silicon molds won't make crusty Canelés but they remain a good alternative
22. I purchased my copper molds while visiting the beautiful little town of Saint-Emilion, not far from Bordeaux
23. If you are visiting France, make sure you purchased a few copper molds, as they are WAY cheaper than products bought online (Amazon)
Pâtisserie Lemoine
9 Rue du Clocher
33330 Saint-Émilion
Coating
24. If you are using copper molds, do not coat them with butter !
25. Silicon mold do NOT need oil or butter coating
26. To coat copper molds, use an oil spray
27. Flip the molds upside down on paper towel
Aligro
Rue François-Dussaud 15
1227 Genève
Suisse
To pour the batter, you may use a measuring cup with spout, or a cone tool like this one : "Piston Funnel"
28. Before pouring the batter into the molds, place the batter at room temperature for about 1 hour
29. Pour the batter into the caneles molds, they should be 3/4 full, not more
30. Molds should be 3/4 full, not more
Oven
31. 
The best oven for this recipe is a convection oven (with a fan) that circulates the air
32. Bake in preheated oven at 405 °F / 210 °C for 15 minutes
33. Lower the temperature to 360 °F / 180 °C for 45 minutes to one hour
34. As you can see, this baking technique works ! The canelés have not risen too much and the top is flat which is what I wanted.
35. You may have to adjust the baking time, every oven is unique !
Perforated Baking Pan
Silicone Baking Mat
How to unmold with copper molds
36. To unmold, don't pull the canelé, you could tear it. While it's still hot, grab the canelé mold with a towel and bang it upside-down
37. Sometimes, the sprayed oil is not enough.... it still sticks !
38. Using a wooden stick I can unmold more easily
Resting time...
39. Not ready yet... Do allow the canelés to rest 2 hours to cool down and to develop their delicious taste
You may keep those canelés in a box in the fridge... Bon appétit
Thanks for the recipe. I have never made Cannele from scratch but this seems a winner! They look extremely light and so fluffy, just like in France!
Thanks !
Thanks for the recipe, I discovered those treats during my last trip in Paris near the Notre Dame in a small pastry shop. -George
Thanks Francois for the recipe.
Just want to clarify that recipe does not have butter.
:-o
Oops. Sorry.
This is Stephane Treand’s recipe, is he who you got recipe from? =)
Not at all, I got it from a French Chef in France
Since you live in Canada,what kind of flour do you use?Pastry,ap flour or bread flour for the caneles? thanks
Howdy Andrew. I would recommend All Purpose Flour for this recipe.
AP Flour doesn't mean bad flour... choose a good brand like King Arthur
Thank you for receipe .
Any reason to rest tepee batter in freezer before bake?
Thank you.
It changes and "stabilizes" the structure
Tres bonne recette.
Merci
Je rajoute des zestes de citron vert.
Do we need to turn on the oven to 210 before baking?
yes - It says "Bake in preheated oven", which means the oven is already set to temperature
Merci beaucoup!