Cannelés are a specialty of the southwest of France. The petite cakes were possibly first made before the French Revolution by cloistered nuns in Bordeaux. Today they are making a resurgence – not just in Bordeaux, but all over France and in French bakeries across America. Their crust is crisp and dark, while the inside is moist and light with a custard color and a distinctive chewy texture. The recipe is straightforward and simple… like crepe batter but with more sugar, and richly flavored with rum and vanilla. The at first time I had one decades ago in Paris I loved it immediately. It reminded me of a baked flan.
Cannelé molds have a beautiful crown-like pattern at the bottom, which adorns the top of the cannelé when they are inverted and served. You can make them in traditional copper molds, which require preheating and greasing (traditionally brushed with beeswax) or in modern silicone molds that are available in kitchenware stores or online. The only thing required is advance planning, since the batter needs to rest overnight before baking (at least 12 hours). Cannelés are best eaten on the day they are made, and are still good for a couple days after. Cover and keep in a dry place at room temperature.
- 3 ounces (90 grams) 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups (16 oz) milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons dark rum, such Meyers’s or brandy
- 1 large egg
- 3 egg yolk
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup scant (100 grams), all-purpose flour, shifted
- Pinch of salt
- Vegetable cooking spray for the molds, or see note.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to almost boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate, butter, vanilla and rum, and then whisk well until chocolate is melted.
- In a large bowl, the egg and egg yolks beat together, add the sugar, cocoa powder, flour and salt combine together with milk mixture in 3 additions until mixture is smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap then place it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or over night.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. If using cooper molds, heat them in the oven for 10 minutes or until they are hot (this step is not necessary with plastic silicon molds.).
- Spray the molds with vegetable cooking spray, doing so more generously if using copper molds, and then place them on the baking sheet. Stir the batter gently and transfer to a large measuring cup or to a pitcher, which will make easier to pour the batter into the molds. Fill the batter mixture into the molds up to 90%, and left the batter rest in them for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to settle at the bottom, so the Cannelés won’t rise during baking.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the exterior of the Cannelés is crisp and set, and spring back when you lightly touch the top. Remove the molds from the oven, and turn them over on a wire cooling rack. Let the Cannelés cool in the molds, which keeps them from sinking and becoming dense.
- Cannelés tend to rise easily, so you need to watch them carefully and rotate the baking sheet every 15-20 minutes, or as necessary depending on the oven. Traditional copper molds are coated with tin. They are traditionally sealed (brushed) with beeswax, and ideally every time you bake. That gives a dark crispy exterior to the Cannelés. You may use a mixture of soft butter and honey to substitute for beeswax. Make sure not to use soap to wash the interior of the copper/tin molds. Rinse them with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
