Classic French Pastry: Cannelés Bordelais (Fluted Cakelets)

Bordeaux is famous for wine but also for the small fluted cakelets called Cannelés Bordelais. Its origin remains mysterious but some say it is related to the regional wine activity. During clarification – one step of wine production – winemakers often add egg whites that help precipitate dead yeast cells and other solids out of a wine. This technique was the only one traditionally used in Bordeaux. Then, one made a pastry with only yolks so as not to waste anything.

Ingredients

For 12 cakelets

500 ml full cream milk (2 1/8 cups)
230g sugar (1 1/6 cups )
150g flour (1 1/4 cups)
50g butter (1/5 cup)
1 vanilla pod
2 egg yolks

Directions

Put the milk and the butter in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Take it off the heat. Beat the eggs and whisk them in little by little stirring continuously. Leave to cool. Mix the flour, the sugar and the rum in a bowl and then add this and the vanilla pod to the milk mixture. Leave to sit until the next day. Sieve. Butter the fluted cake moulds and pour this mixture in leaving 1 cm space at the top. Heat the oven to 350°F (180° C) and cook the cakelets for 1 hour or until they are dark golden brown. As soon as they are cooked tip them out of the cake tin onto a cooling tray. The cakelets are at their best eaten the same day.

Where to eat the best Cannelés Bordelais

Thanks to our hosts in Bordeaux we discovered La Toque Cuivrée. Here you can find traditional Cannelés Bordelais from all sizes. As a matter of interest, we brought some to friends who previously had a bad experience with rubbery fluted cakelets. They all changed their mind after having some from La Toque Cuivrée and asked for the shopping address to get some more!