Cannelés are traditional French pastries shaped like miniature Bundt cakes. They’re known for their crispy, caramelized outsides and soft, custardy interiors. And did we mention they’re also très délicieux?

Makes 20 cannelés

Prep time: 1 hour
Chilling time: 48 hours
Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup dark rum
• For greasing: 1 ½ oz food-grade beeswax
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and butter. Using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out into the milk, then drop in the pod.
2. Heat the milk over medium heat until it reaches 180ºF to 185ºF on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Place the vanilla bean pod in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Let the milk cool until it reaches 120ºF on the thermometer (cool enough that you can leave your finger in the milk for a few seconds).
5. Meanwhile, sift the flour, sugar and salt into a medium bowl.
6. In a small bowl and using a fork, gently combine the eggs and egg yolks. Do not use a whisk. For best results, the batter must contain no air pockets.
7. Pour the eggs into the flour mixture and mix gently to combine until a lumpy batter forms.
8. Pour the cooled milk into the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.
9. Pour the batter through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl with the vanilla bean pod. Stir in the rum. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 48 hours.
10. For greasing the cannelé moulds, melt the beeswax and butter in a small saucepan over low heat just until the mixture melts and is transparent. Do not boil. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl. (This will remove the milk solids and any imperfections in the wax which may burn during baking.)
11. Let the melted wax mixture cool slightly. Ensuring the moulds are clean and dry, brush the insides of 20 cannelé moulds thoroughly with the wax mixture. Place the coated moulds in the freezer until needed.
12. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 500ºF. Set a wire rack in a large shallow roasting pan.
13. Discard the vanilla bean pod. The batter will have separated a little, so stir it gently just before baking.
14. Remove the moulds from the freezer and fill each one with batter to within ½ inch of the top. Place the moulds, 2 inches apart, on the wire rack in the roasting pan.
15. Turn down the oven temperature to 450ºF. Put the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
16. Rotate the roasting pan through 180 degrees and turn down the oven temperature to 375ºF. Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the roasting pan through 180 degrees every 15 minutes.
17. Remove the cannelés from the oven. Gently tap all around each mould with tongs or a wooden spoon to loosen the cannelés. Unmould the hot cannelés onto a wire rack to cool. Eat within 2 hours of baking.