These Bordeaux French Caneles cakes or custard cakes, are a popular dessert in France and are made by baking a custard. Our classic French Canelé cake recipe without rum and without beeswax is easy to make with just, milk, flour, eggs, butter, vanilla and sugar…That’s it!

These two bite baked canele cake custard treats are soft in the inside with a crunchy caramelized crust on the outside and perfectly balanced flavor and sweetness that make them soo additive.

Caneles Without Beeswax

Coating canele molds is one of the most important steps in ensuring the baked canele custard cake release with ease. In this recipe we coat the Caneles molds without beeswax and use a generous amount of butter instead.

After making tons of caneles pastry with and without beeswax, we find that using butter instead of beeswax for coating the canele molds works much better plus you get that added flavor from the butter which is a bonus.

What Is Beeswax?

Beeswax is a type of wax that is naturally produced by honey bees. The bees produce the wax then discard inside their hives.

What Is Canele Mold?

The best traditional canelé de Bordeaux French pastry are made using special molds that are made out of copper. These copper molds transfer heat better than silicone molds, stainless steel molds or aluminum molds. The canele molds are distinctive designed and shaped for canele cakes.

These copper molds can be a bit expensive, costing about 20 bucks each…ouch, I know. If you don’t have the copper molds, you can use silicone molds, ramekins or even muffin tins, to make these caneles, they will still turn out delicious…Pinky Promise!

Ready to make some these French Canelé cake recipe without rum or beeswax? Let’s do it!

Ingredients For French Canelé Cake Without Rum

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks (about 60 g)
• 1 whole large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
• 1/4 tsp salt (1 g)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter (45 g), plus more for greasing molds
• (Optional) 1 tbsp honey – for extra flavor and crust color)

Traditional Canele Mold Coating

• Option A Without Beeswax: 3 tbsp melted butter
• Option B (traditional): 3 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp beeswax pellets, melted together (for that signature crispy shell)

How To Make French Bordeaux Caneles?

1. Heat the milk mixture: In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter. If using a vanilla bean, add both the seeds and pod to the pot. Heat gently over medium until the butter melts and the mixture is warm (not boiling). Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. If using vanilla extract instead, add it now.
2. Mix the eggs and sugar: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, and salt until smooth.
3. Temper & combine: Slowly whisk in half of the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it. Then whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and mix until fully combined. (Optional: stir in the honey here.)
4. Strain the batter: Pour the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container or bowl. This helps get rid of any lumps. If you used a vanilla bean pod, you can add it back into the batter for more flavor during chilling.
5. Chill the batter: Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 24 hours (up to 3 days). This rest is key for the signature custardy texture and deep flavor.Preheat oven to 190 °C (375 °F) and set rack to middle position.
6. Prepare the Molds: Generously brush the inside of each mold with melted butter. For an authentic crispy finish, melt the butter together with beeswax and coat each mold thinly. Let excess drip out and place molds upside down on a rack to set. Chill molds in the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes.
7. Prepare the Canelés for Baking: Preheat to 475°F (245°C). Place molds on a lined baking tray.
8. Fill the molds: Stir the chilled batter well, then pour into each mold, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Use about 60 g of batter per mold (or 25 g for mini molds).
   Bake: Bake at 475°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F (200°C) and continue baking, for mini canelés 30–35 minutes, and for regular size, 50–60 minutes. Canelés should be deep golden brown with almost burnt-looking edges.
   Unmold & cool: Remove from the oven, invert the molds, and let them cool on a wire rack. The canelés will firm up and develop their chewy crust as they cool.

More Great French Dessert Recipes

• VANILLA CREME BRULEE
• CHANTILLY WHIPPED CREAM
• PARISIAN MACARON
• TARTE DE POMMES A LA NORMANDE

Easy Canelé de Bordeaux

Marcela Arias

These incredible baked custard dessert's known as canele cakes or canneles pastry, have a moist and soft interior and a crunchy caramelized outer crust that is perfectly baked to perfections.

5 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Bordeaux, French

Servings 12 pieces

Calories 85 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups 480 ml whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks about 60 g
• 1 whole large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
• 1/4 tsp salt 1 g
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean split and scraped
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter 45 g, plus more for greasing molds
• Optional 1 tbsp honey – for extra flavor and crust color)
• Traditional Mold Coating
• 3 tbsp 45 g unsalted butter, melted Opition 1
• 3 tbsp butter plus 2 tbsp beeswax pellets Option 2 (Traditional)

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter. If using a vanilla bean, add both the seeds and pod to the pot. Heat gently over medium until the butter melts and the mixture is warm (not boiling). Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. If using vanilla extract instead, add it now.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, and salt until smooth.
• Slowly whisk in half of the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it. Then whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and mix until fully combined. (Optional: stir in the honey here.)
• Pour the batter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container or bowl. This helps get rid of any lumps. If you used a vanilla bean pod, you can add it back into the batter for more flavor during chilling.
• Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 24 hours (up to 3 days). This rest is key for the signature custardy texture and deep flavor.Preheat oven to 190 °C (375 °F) and set rack to middle position.
• Generously brush the inside of each mold with melted butter. For an authentic crispy finish, melt the butter together with beeswax and coat each mold thinly. Let excess drip out and place molds upside down on a rack to set. Chill molds in the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat to 475°F (245°C). Place molds on a lined baking tray.
• Stir the chilled batter well, then pour into each mold, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Use about 60 g of batter per mold (or 25 g for mini molds).
• Bake at 475°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F (200°C) and continue baking, for mini canelés 30–35 minutes, and for regular size, 50–60 minutes. Canelés should be deep golden brown with almost burnt-looking edges.
• Remove from the oven, invert the molds, and let them cool on a wire rack. The canelés will firm up and develop their chewy crust as they cool.

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