Canelés have a bit of a reputation for being tricky and temperamental, but aside from brushing the pans with the white oil and having to get special pans, I found the recipe itself to be pretty straightforward. The best part is that you get to put a whole vanilla bean in the batter and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, which lets the pure vanilla flavor seep into absolutely *everything*. This was definitely in the top three tastiest baked goods I’ve ever made as far as texture and flavor goes. And don’t be afraid if the outside of the candle looks really dark once you remove it from the pan, you want the exterior to be a really dark brown, just before black. If it’s dark gold but not brown, it will have a little of that burnt sugar flavor, but not very much, whereas when it is dark brown you not only get a good dose of that creme brûlée-esque burnt sugar flavor, but you also get a slightly crisp exterior wall which is such a great textural contrast to the soft custardy cake inside. If you’re looking for something delicious to make for Valentine’s day, I can’t recommend this more highly. It does take a little foresight since the batter needs to rest overnight, but trust me, the taste makes the planning more than worth it 🙂
Orange Blossom Canelés
Ingredients
White Oil Coating
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons food grade beeswax pellets
Orange Blossom Canelés
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon golden rum
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
Instructions
First make sure your canelé molds are ready (this only applies to the traditional copper and tin canelé molds, not the silicone ones). If you’ve bought them brand new, you need to proof them by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and dry your new molds by hand, then grease them with shortening or vegetable oil. Place them on a baking sheet, hollow side facing up, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove them from the baking sheet, place a wire rack on the baking sheet, then place the molds upside down on the rack to drain into the pan. Turn the oven off and let them sit there until cooled to room temperature.
Once your canelé molds are seasoned, you need to coat the interior with ‘white oil’. To make the white oil, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the beeswax and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Use a pastry brush to lightly but evenly brush the interiors of the molds with the white oil, allowing excess to drop out. You want to do this while the white oil is still hot and melted because that will get you the most even coating, but be careful as this will also make the mold hot as your holding and rotating it to brush the inside. Place the brushed molds upside down on a wire rack over a sheet of paper towels to cool and allow any excess to drip off.
Now you can make the canelés! Scrape out the inside of the vanilla bean over a small saucepan filled with the milk. Add the vanilla bean husk to the pot and place over medium low heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is 183 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons butter. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom in a medium bowl and set them aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, rum, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and orange blossom water until combined.
Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk the warm milk mixture in as well. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours before baking.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the vanilla bean husk from the batter and discard it. Fill the molds about 2/3 with the batter and place the molds on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes if you’re using small canelé molds about 1 and 3/4-inch in diameter, and about 40 minutes if you’re using larger ones about 2 and 1/3-inch in diameter. They will poof up in the pan as they bake and the edges will be brown while the center stays relatively pale. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the mold upside down onto a wire rack. The canelé should fall out with ease. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before eating, but they’re best eaten warm. If you want to eat them later on, place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 for about 7 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Pacal Rigo and Anne Zimmerman
so much love in your pics… ♥
Thank you Victoria!
This is gorgeous, Eva! And yeah, PDX really is a big small town. As is the internet, it seems. xoxo
Awww thanks Michelle!! Yeah it's funny how small places can feel sometimes haha
beautiful caneles! I have an obsession with orange blossom water – it's strong, but the flavor is precious and unique.
Agreed, a little bit goes a long way with that stuff but there is nothing comparable to its flavor 🙂
Beautiful photography! I love the dark colors.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Thank you Kari!
so, so gorgeous!! I love orange blossom as it reminds me of my time spent in the middle east <3 Such a gorgeous delicate flavor! x
Thank you! It has such a soft sweetness to it…it pairs perfectly with the vanilla in these 🙂
Such a fragrant scent, these canelés must be amazing! The flowers are absolutely wonderful, I am in love.
Nicole
Thank you, Nicole!! <3
These photos, flowers, light, little canelés, the vanilla!! What can I say, I'm in love! Simply gorgeous Eva! <3
Awwwww thanks so much Lili!!! 😀
Yum!
Her Heartland Soul
herheartlandsoul.com
Thanks Erin!
Eva this is so beautiful – I was compelled to share this on twitter! You've completely nailed Caneles and the flavour combination is wonderful.
Thank you for the wonderful pictures – it's like taking a step into your life!
You are so sweet, thank you Angela!!! I am so glad you liked them and felt compelled to share 🙂
These flowers looks beautiful. I don't feel like taking my eyes of it. Anyway, thanks for the share.
Best restaurant in Hong Kong
Thanks Julia!
So beautiful! I love all you work, it's amazing and you are so inspiring!
Btw, are you hosting any workshops during 2016? Maybe in northern Europe again? <3
All the love!
/Maria
Thank you so much Maria! I am hosting several, one in Barcelona next month, one in New Mexico in June, one in Iceland in August (that is already sold out) and one in Croatia in September 🙂 Would love to have you join! You can read more and sign up at http://www.firstweeat.co/workshops
They turned out beautiful and the flowers are stunning.
Thank you for sharing this recipe – the photography is stunning and the combination of orange blossom and cardamom sounds incredible. I’ll be sure to let you know how they come out when I try them. Would you mind sharing where you found the food grade beeswax ?
Let's Be Penpals!
from my homestead to your inbox
https://f.convertkit.com/f9f55d6a65/654b86fbaf.js