Canelés de Bordeaux: Canele Recipe Without Rum

The easiest Canele Recipe without rum for the notoriously difficult pastry to achieve! These French Canelés de Bordeaux have been an obsession of mine for a few years now. Nothing compares to their dark caramelised crust and incredibly moist middle! Our version of the small french pastry is made in silicone moulds, without beeswax or expensive copper moulds!

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Ever since I tasted my first Canelé from a small French patisserie, I was on a mission to develop the best (but easy enough) Canelé recipe, so I can enjoy them anytime I wanted. I was reluctant to invest in proper copper moulds, and was adamant that Caneles made in silicone ones can be just as delicious! A few years later, I am finally ready to share my recipe for Caneles without Rum, Beeswax or copper canelé molds. All you are going to need are typical kitchen tools, and one of these Lékué 8 Cavity Gourmet Cannele Bordelais Moulds to make a perfect canelé.

Ingredients

Whilst traditional caneles are typically made with dark rum, we are sharing this simple recipe that you can make without any rum. All that you are going to need for these great caneles are very basic ingredients that most home cooks have at home already.

• milk: we prefer to use whole milk in this recipe, as the caneles definitely benefit from the higher fat content.
• eggs: we typically use medium eggs (UK medium, US large).
• plain flour: (also known as all purpose flour) is excellent in this recipe, but using wheat flour with a slightly higher gluten content won’t affect the result too much.
• sugar: use caster (superfine) sugar, as it dissolves quicker in the batter.
• butter: European-style butter is best, as it has a higher fat content. We used unsalted butter.
• vanilla paste: we highly recommend Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean paste. Vanilla extract can also be used, but you won’t get the black speckles of the seeds. Because we don’t use rum in this recipe, good vanilla product is of paramount importance for best results.

Silicone Molds vs. Copper Moulds For Canelés

You can use either silicone canele molds, aluminum molds or traditional copper molds for this recipe. Although many claim that Canelés can only be made crunchy and caramelised in copper using beeswax, I disagree. I personally use a silicone mould that is 8 x 70ml capacity and is great for the quantities in this recipe. My crusts are just as dark, caramelised and crispy. The beauty of a silicone mould is that your Canelés never stick and you can wash them in your dishwasher. Not to mention it is A LOT cheaper than copper moulds.

How To Make The Best Canelés?

Make the Batter

I highly recommend using whole milk and 100% butter in this Canelé recipe as the fat content in the milk really helps to keep these pastries moist during lengthy baking. Pour your milk into a small saucepan, add the butter and vanilla paste (I use Neilsen Massey)/ split the vanilla pod and place on low heat until the butter melts. Do not let it boil.

In the meantime, whisk eggs and egg yolks together with caster sugar. Caster sugar has smaller finer grains compared to granulated sugar and, therefore, dissolves easier and makes your Canelés de Bordeaux lighter. Once your eggs and sugar are pale and fluffy, sift in the flour and whisk batter until cohesive and smooth.

Tip

For this Canelé recipe, I tend to do everything in a measuring jug, because it then allows me to pour the mixture into the moulds easier (and saves washing up). But a large bowl will do too.

An important step is to let the milk cool down slightly. Before you pour your buttery milk into the eggs, make sure it’s not too hot. Otherwise, your egg mixture will scramble. Have a whisk handy and as soon as you pour your milk in, whisk vigorously to avoid scrambling or any lumps forming. The mix will be quite thin – it’s supposed to be that way.

That’s it, the batter for the Canele without Rum is done! Now, just a bit of patience…

Resting the Batter

Cover your bowl (or measuring jug with cling film (plastic wrap) and let the batter rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours (up to 56 hours). The texture will not be the same without giving the Canelé batter this time, so patience pays off here.

When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 230 C Fan and take your batter out of the fridge. Your mix will have a thick layer formed on top, so whisk it together again to make it of even consistency. When the oven reaches the temperature, pour your Canelé mix into the mould leaving some space for them to rise. Since I use a “floppy” silicone mould, I tend to fill them halfway and put them in the oven. Then top them up to avoid any spillage. Alternatively, you may want to use a baking sheet / baking tray underneath the silicone mould, but make sure it’s hot before putting the moulds on top, or your canelés won’t have crispy tops.

Don’t fill your mould before your oven preheats, as the flour will rise to the top again and your Canelés will be uneven consistency when baked.

Bake at a high temperature (230° C) for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180° C and bake for a further 45 minutes. No matter how tempting, don’t open the oven for the first 40 minutes. The first 10 minutes at high heat will ensure a crispy crust.

Your Canelés de Bordeaux will be dark in colour, crispy to touch and puffed up slightly when you take them out of the oven. Leave them in the moulds for at least 10 minutes before you attempt to remove them. Just flip them upside down onto a large chopping board. Then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make sure you let them cool completely before you eat them (I personally find this a huge challenge). They will firm up and won’t feel doughy in the middle at room temperature. However, they should still have a tender custard center and thick caramelized crust. Canelés are best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee!

Have an Egg White Leftover After Making Canelés?

If you made this lovely French Canelé Recipe without Rum, you may have one egg white left. Why not try one of our other recipes to it up:

• Light Almond Biscuits
• Banana & Pecan Praline Parfait

Or have a look at our full collection of recipes using egg whites!

Our Favorite Recipes From France

If you’ve now eaten more of these Caneles de Bordeaux than you care to admit, why not switch it up with so other delicious French Pastries? You can always count on a good French recipe to make the best breakfast pastry or dessert:

• Sourdough Pain Au Chocolat
• White Chocolate And Cranberry Macarons
• Sourdough Croissants

Recipe Card

Canelés de Bordeaux Without Rum (in Silicone Mould)

The easiest Canele Recipe without rum for the notoriously difficult pastry to achieve! These French Canelés de Bordeaux have been an obsession of mine for a few years now. Nothing compares to their dark caramelised crust and incredibly moist middle! Canelés are an absolute must-try for any pastry lover!

5 from 16 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Resting time 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8 canelés

Calories 130 kcal

Equipment

• Silicone Canelé moulds (8 x 70ml)

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 250 ml whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 50 g plain flour
• 100 g caster sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod
• pinch of salt

Instructions

 

DAY 1:

• Pour milk in a pan and add a teaspoon of vanilla paste to it (or split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the inside), and add the butter. Heat it on low heat until butter belts and then take it off the heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together caster sugar, whole egg and a yolk. Then sift in the flour and add a pinch of salt incorporating into the egg and sugar mix.
• Pour the lukewarm milk into the egg mixture. Whisk continuously until you get a smooth mix without any lumps. The batter will be quite thin, resembling a pancake mix.
• Cover with cling film and leave the mixture to rest overnight in the fridge.

DAY 2:

• When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 230°C.
• If you are using copper moulds, you might need to grease them. Silicone moulds don’t need buttering.
• Remove canelés mix from the fridge and give it a good stir before pouring into the moulds, but make sure to leave ½ cm from the top unfilled, as your pastries will rise a little
• Bake in the oven at 230°C for 10 minutes only, then lower the temperature to 180°C for a further 45 mins.
• Remove from the oven when the tops or canelés are dark brown and crispy. Leave to cool down for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove them from their moulds.

Video

Notes

These Caneles without Rum are best served on the day that they are baked. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 21mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 191IUCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

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