And while it might be some time before the sweet canelé rises to the level of popularity its French, pastel-pastry cousin, the macaron, commands, there's no doubt about it: canelés are the new madeleines, y'all, and Yvonne & Guite have perfected this delicious French pastry with their beautifully simple, traditional recipe.
When I tried a canelé for the first time, was love at first bite: a soft, pillowy baked custard center surrounded by a glazed, caramelized crust, the canelé has more depth than madeleines and financiers and the sweet little crown-like shape is irresistible. Unlike other canelé makers in London who feature a variety of different flavors, Yvonne & Guite focus on making traditional canelés using milk, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, and rum.
I love the founder, Caroline's, inspiring story: originally from Vendée, France, Caroline began a career in asset management in Paris, then London, before turning her eye to her own business after being unsatisfied with the canelé recipes she found in recipe books. Convinced that canelés could give cupcakes and macarons a run for their money, she set off to develop the perfect recipe with a French pastry chef and ... et voila.
I sampled some of Caroline's fresh canelés with a hot cup of tea for breakfast (sorry not sorry! I'm not one of those bloggers who has a green smoothie every morning, unfortunately) and found myself back in canelé heaven: the perfectly glazed outer crust gave way to a ever-so-slightly chewy and subtle vanilla-flavored center.
It's a lovely alternative to cake, if you wanted to serve it for afternoon tea. As I was placing them on my mini cake stand, I also had visions of a tower of canelés, which would work beautifully well for birthdays or weddings!
I've been meaning to buy canelé baking molds to try making them myself, but might just end up bulk-buying from Yvonne & Guite instead. Oops.
Have you ever tried a canelé? What did you think?
Thank you, Yvonne & Guite for my beautiful box of canelés! Want your own box? Right now, Yvonne & Guite's distributor, Bonativo.co.uk, are offering £5 off canelé orders with the code YVONNE5. To keep up with Yvonne & Guite's delicious news, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. All opinions are my own.
A bit like a madeleine but custard filled - seriously? That sounds too good to be true and I am dangerously close to ordering some of these with your code! How have I never heard of these before?!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I've edited it now as it's more like a baked custard center than a gooey, oozing custard center! It's delicious, though. I HIGHLY encourage purchasing a box or two! They are so adorable, and fun to share with friends.
DeleteOOoh I've never tried these before either, they look amazing!
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Angie
SilverSpoon London
They're delicious, Angie! xo
DeleteOoooh as a Francophile I feel as though I need to try these! Totally agree with you on cake for breakfast - life is short, have the cake!
ReplyDeleteLauren xx
The Lifestyle Diaries
I thought you'd be all over them already, Lauren, haha! Yes, definitely try them! xx
DeleteI still can't ever pronounce canelé - thankfully they are tasty enough to employ the point and smile purchasing technique :)
ReplyDeleteI can't pronounce 99.9% of any French words! Canelé is probably one that I'm botching ... luckily, I have plenty of French colleagues at work to help :)
DeleteCanelés, eh? I'll have to look into this...(she says as a puddle of drool slowly darkens her lap...).
ReplyDeleteHAHA - you'd be a fan, for sure.
DeleteThese look better than ones I've previously tried - might have to give them another go!
ReplyDeleteThey're pretty delicious but I think they're hard to get right, Hannah - I think because of the alcohol content, they're easier to burn sometimes. I've not tried to make them myself yet, but I'll be that's what will happen to mine!
DeleteLike your colleague, I'm from near Bordeaux (lived there for two years too), but for some reason I've always hated cannelés! I think they're pretty, but I've never liked the taste and texture of them.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures really make them look tasty though, even to me. :)
Oh no, Charlotte! But yes, I could see why ... the first time I tried one, I was surprised by the texture. I had expected it to taste soft and fluffy inside like a madeleine or financier ... and was really surprised to find that it was denser and chewier in texture!
DeleteBut thank you for the lovely compliment :) xo
I've never heard of or seen these before but they sound divine - sometimes simple done well is the absolute best. Want to try one now! The packing is also beaut, just saying... Lots of love, Andrea xxx
ReplyDeleteAndrea's Passions
You'd love them, Andrea! xxx
DeleteI love caneles, funnily enough I ate them at Angelus that I've just written about. Hadn't thought of eating them for breakfast but I could get behind that!
ReplyDeleteSuze | LuxuryColumnist
Must read your review, Suze! Yum ... :)
DeleteYuuuuuuuuuuuuuum! My local cafe makes these from scratch as well, they are so good with a flat white!
ReplyDeleteNo way, Jade! Lucky you ... I'd be down there all the time! :)
Deletethey look so delicious!!!!! Do you know if they accept small orders? Would love to try them too
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they do, MissLilly! Have a look on their website ...
DeleteThese are so good aren't they? I was lucky enough to get a box myself. They're amazing and such good value!
ReplyDeleteThey're delicious, Angela! I really need to try to make them myself ... my French colleague uses the silicon moulds to make hers and says they're the best.
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