Mini canelés
PHOTOGRAPHS NASSIMA ROTHACKER
“In France, pâtisser (to bake) is mostly used when talking about a professional, not a home baker. Instead, we simply faire un gâteau (make a cake) for a weekly dessert or a Sunday family meal – asweet treat, made without fuss, for the joy of sharing. I want people to know that a cake with a fancy French name doesn’t have to be difficult to make. My mum and grandma ran a farm, so they didn’t have time to spend hours baking, but there was always a homemade dessert at every meal. I hope you’ll enjoy making and sharing my recipes with people you love – because there’s no better feeling than having a bit of la belle vie (the good life)”
A BIT ABOUT MANON
After growing up on a farm in Brittany with a food-obsessed family, Manon turned to baking in earnest when she moved to London, becoming a contestant on Great British Bake Off and a star on Instagram. Known for her fresh, contemporary takes on French classics, she’s become a heroine to a new generation of aspiring bakers. Her first cookbook, Et Voilà!, is out now. @manonlagreve
Mini canelés
Makes 30-40 mini or 12 large canelés
Hands-on time 20 min, plus overnight resting
Oven time 1 hour 30 min
Specialist kit Large or mini silicon canelé moulds
“‘This recipe comes from my uncle’s grandma, directly from Bordeaux, where they are from. Winemakers used to use egg whites to clarify the wine in the barrels, leaving a lot of spare egg yolks to use up. It’s a simple batter, flavoured with vanilla and rum, which caramelises during baking but still stays soft and chewy inside.”
• 500ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 medium free-range eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 250g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 110g plain flour
• 50g salted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
1 Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, remove from the heat, leave to cool slightly, then stir in the vanilla.
2 Mix the eggs, egg yolks and icing sugar in a large bowl, then add the rum, 1 tbsp at a time. Stir in the flour before adding the melted butter and milk. Cover and rest in the fridge overnight.
3 Heat the oven to 220°C fan/ gas 9. Grease the canelé moulds and put on a baking tray in the oven to heat up. Once hot, fill the moulds three quarters full. If using mini moulds, bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°C fan/gas 7 and bake for another 15 minutes, then reduce again to 180°C fan/ gas 6 and bake for a final 45 minutes. If using regular-size moulds, bake at 220°C fan/gas 9 for 20 minutes, followed by 180°C fan/gas 6 for 1 hour. Remove the canelés from their moulds and cool on a wire rack.