Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best, and canelés (to me) are a prime example of this and why you should never judge a book by its cover. In fairness, It’s pretty easy to overlook canelés when they are so many pretty, delicate and colourful desserts lined up next to them… but for what they (perhaps) lack in style, they make up for in a boatload of flavour and texture.  They have a glorious crunchy exterior, a spongy custard interior, and a nice underlying (but not overpowering) taste of rum. Honestly, I can’t get enough of these little bad boys.  And what better way to serve them with a drizzle of salted caramel.

Makes:  16

Time: 20 mins prep, 24-48hrs resting and 50 mins cooking

Canelé Ingredients:

• 500ml whole milk
• 50g butter
• 100g plain flour
• 220g icing sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 50ml rum
• 4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Bring the milk and butter to boil in a small saucepan then set aside till it reaches room temperature.
2. Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a bowl.
3. Lightly beat the whole eggs and egg yolks together with a fork.
4. Pour the egg mix into the dry mix and stir in using a fork till fully incorporated- do this gently as you don’t want to get too much air into the mix.
5. Once the milk/butter mix has cooled add this into the batter mix bit by bit until you get a smooth consistency, it should be similar to crepe batter.
6. Pour the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps and then stir in the rum and vanilla extract.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48hrs, the longer you leave it the better results you’ll have.
8. 2 hours before baking place your silicon mould in the freezer.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 220c and place your silicon mould on a baking tray.
10. Before pouring into the mould gently stir the batter to make sure any that has settled to the bottom of the bowl is mixed in fully.
11. Pour the mix into the holes but leave a little room for them to grow, they will rise when baked.
12. Let the canelés cook at 220c for 8-10 mins and then reduce the heat down to 180c for 40 mins.
13. Leave the canelés to cool in their moulds for 5 minutes before removing.
14. The canelés are best eaten on the day they are baked, and served warm. You can however keep them in the fridge for a couple days, just make sure you warm them up a little in the oven before serving.

Salted Caramel:

• 85g light soft brown sugar
• 150ml double cream
• 25g butter
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt (start with 1/4 and increase to taste)

1. Start making your salted caramel by placing all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and gently heating the mix until all the ingredients have melted into a smooth sauce.
2. Bring the mix to the boil and leave it to bubble away for 3-4mins.
3. Leave the sauce to cool down for 10 minutes and then Cover and leave the salted caramel in the fridge (up to 3 days) until ready to serve.

To serve:

1. Warm up the canelés in the oven on a low heat.
2. Warm up the salted caramel in the microwave until runny (20 secs should do it).
3. Drizzle the salted caramel over the canelés.