Masala Chai Canelés

It's cozy tea season and I can't wait for you guys to try these Masala Chai Canelés! Canelés are a pastry flavored with vanilla and rum from Bordeaux, France. They're popular for the contrasting dark caramelized exterior and soft custard interior that are a result of baking at high temperature. The crackling sound as you bite into them is so so satisfying. Unfortunately, they're rarely seen outside of France.

And can I say they're absolute perfection with tea or coffee? It inspired me to add masala chai into the mix! I know some French person is probably rolling in their grave with my addition, so let me preface this and say these ARE NOT authentic canelés for several reasons, i.e. the mold, seasoning, and flavor.

Most cookbooks and blogs that I referenced mentioned that these pastries take some skill and technique to perfect, but that they're easy enough to make with some attention. Like all good things that take forever, the reward is high at the end! Intrigued, I took about a week compiling information, tips, and trialing recipes to get it right.

Buckle up, this is going to be a fairly long post. Stick with me, I promise it will give you all the information you need to perfect canelés on your first try (fingers crossed!).

CANELÉ MOLDS

The first thing you'll need for the signature look is ridged, fluted molds.

After reading a ton about canelé molds, I came to the conclusion that getting copper molds were the move. The copper's ability to conduct heat gives canelés that trademark crunchy exterior while keeping the inside custardy. Will I ever use them again? TBD. I don't regret spending $29 on 4 molds. The copper did wash off a bit during seasoning and baking because the butter bubbles down the sides. You can splurge and get the ones that are $30 each from Bordeaux, but I genuinely don't see why unless you're an enthusiast or you own a bakery.

While I didn't test the silicon molds, most people said they just couldn't achieve the same texture with them. If you want to try and use the baking molds you have, check out this website. Scroll about ⅔ of the way down, and they actually tested different molds you can use to bake canelés.

SEASONING COPPER CANELÉ MOLDS

If you're planning on using copper molds, YOU MUST SEASON THEM. My first time around wasn't done right and the canelés took half an hour to detach from the sides. The first batch was edible, but ultimately trash. It was an absolute nightmare.

Traditionally, a 50/50 ratio of beeswax and butter is used to season the molds. Beeswax, that too food-grade beeswax, is not readily available to me unless I order ahead from Amazon. That, too, it's something I'll never use again. My goal was to use what was in my pantry here since I already spent money on molds. If you do choose to use beeswax, make sure it has no additives and is food-grade.

1. Melt half a stick of unsalted butter. Pour the butter into the mold, coating it with a thin layer on all sides. Pour it into the next mold and repeat.
2. Bake the molds at 500°F for 20 minutes.
3. After they bake, drain the excess butter and wipe away any burnt bits.
4. Placed the molds in freezer for at least 30 minutes before using them to bake.
5. Before using the molds, brush a thin layer of melted butter on the inside of the mold. Nonstick spray also works.

Over time, the seasoning will become stronger. Be sure to gently wipe the molds with a paper towel after use to clean them. Do not scrub or scratch, otherwise the seasoning will be damaged.

LETS TALK ABOUT CHAI

Chai means tea. Masala is a mixture of ground spices.

Thanks to Oprah's chai tea latte at Starbucks, chai became widely popularized in the U.S. as some watered-down cinnamon heavy tea. People everywhere began saying "chai tea"... "chai tea", meaning "tea tea"... I cringe every time I hear it. Don't be this person.

Chai typically refers to black tea with milk, the drink of choice for people on the Indian subcontinent. It's a huge part of our culture whether we're en route somewhere, cozying up at home, or bonding over chai with family and friends.

MASALA CHAI

Masala chai is black tea boiled with whole milk and aromatic spices - the most common being cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Hence, chai masala is the spices used to make masala chai.

If a recipe says "chai spice glaze," I'd expect for there to be cardamom, cloves, etc to make the glaze aromatic and flavorful. If it says "chai glaze," I'd expect for the recipe to use black tea leaves to make a glaze. This recipe is called Masala Chai Canelés, which means you'll be making masala chai and using it to flavor canelés!

For this recipe, I ask you to use a masala chai mix to simplify the ingredients. You can buy from quality brands like Madhu Chocolate, One Stripe Chai Co., Kolkata Chai Co., or concentrates like Dona Chai. You can also make your own masala chai without using water. If making your own masala chai, use a minimum of 2 black tea bags and add about 10ml of milk to account for any that evaporates and allow a longer cooling period. Do note that we're using cardamom powder in addition to what's in the masala chai. We add it at two different points because the first addition is to allow the flavor to mingle with the batter for a few days, and the second addition is for the fresh fragrance it lends.

THE BATTER

Amazingly enough, all the ingredients for canelés are pantry items! The only thing here is that the batter needs to rest for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 4 days, so plan ahead. I'd recommend 24 hours for the flavors to develop. If you're not eating it immediately, you can even bake a few a day to maintain the crispy exterior.

Ingredients:

• whole milk
• masala chai mix
• sugar
• unsalted butter
• all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• eggs
• egg yolks
• ground cardamom

Step 1. In a sauce pan, bring the milk, butter, and masala chai mix to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the butter has melted and the masala chai has fully infused.

If you're making your own masala chai, add 10ml of milk to account for any that boils off.

Step 2. Allow the milk to cool to about 125°F, measuring with a thermometer or when you can touch it without burning yourself. Pour the milk through a fine mesh strainer to remove any tea leaves.

Step 3. While the milk is cooling, whisk together the egg and egg yolks in a large bowl until the mixture is homogenous. Do not whisk past this point. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, sifted all purpose flour, half the cardamom powder, and salt.

Step 4. Once the milk has cooled, continuously whisk the eggs with one hand and begin slowly pouring the milk down the side of the bowl with the eggs. This brings up the temperature of the eggs without cooking them. Continue tempering the eggs until all the milk has been whisked in and the custard has formed.

Step 5. Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients, making sure to remove all lumps but not overmixing to aerate.

Step 6. Strain the batter into a pitcher, preferably with a spout. Cover and refrigerate.

BAKING THE CANELÉS

If you only bought four molds like me, all you need to do between batches is allow the molds to cool and wipe them clean. Brush with butter, replace the aluminum foil on the baking tray, and then reheat the oven to 550°F.

TROUBLESHOOTING CANELÉS

My first few batches had a few issues - so I'll go over them here to help troubleshoot.

WHY ARE MY CANELÉS MUSHROOMING?

Some forums said this could be because of air incorporated, but I was very careful about this my second batch and it didn't make a difference.

Another blog said to take your canelés out of the oven if they start to rise and poke holes in it. This reduced the overall temperature of the canelé and the oven from opening and closing it so the inside texture was off. Yet another blog said to just take them out of the mold once fully baked and let them deflate on a cooling rack. This kind of worked, but left them lopsided. Highly recommend avoiding these.

I baked a few batches at 350°F and 400°F and kept having this issue despite starting the bake at 550°F to form the outer shell. I also realized the left side of the oven had a fan blowing, causing a few canelés on that side to mushroom while the others were steady. Once I cranked up the heat to 450°F for the last 30 minutes, I didn't see ballooning but instead a steady rise that eventually deflated.

WHY AM I GETTING WHITE BUTTS?

White butts means the top of the canelés are white when they come out of the mold. This usually happens when the canelés mushroom out of their mold and do not deflate. The middles are usually pretty hollow when this happens.

Do not overfill the molds. If it expands out of the molds without deflating later on, the pastry doesn't touch the top of the mold again. Without the high heat from the mold, the canelé doesn't caramelize on the top, resulting in "white butts."

If there are white butts, they can be popped back into their molds and go back into the oven.

WHY WON'T MY CANELÉS COME OUT OF THE MOLD?

They haven't been properly seasoned and greased before use.

If they don't slip out, there are three ways to troubleshoot:

1. Bang the molds on a hard surface on each side. The canelés should release
2. Use a thin, heat resistant stick, i.e. a cooking thermometer. Carefully insert around the edges to release.
3. Use a fork and peel it out. If you need to resort to this, take out as much of the canelé as you can salvage (still edible!). Carefully soak the molds in water, being careful not to expose the exterior to water. After soaking for up to 30 minutes, pour the water out and gently wipe away any crumbs with a paper towel.

WHY ISN'T THE INSIDE FULLY COOKED AND CUSTARDY?

I baked a batch at 350°F for 50 minutes and had this issue.

I found that I only got the perfect texture on the inside when I baked the canelés at 450°F for the last 30 minutes. Any lower and they wouldn't have the bread-like bubbly texture throughout that's still soft and custardy.

STORING CANELÉS

Honestly, I haven't found a way to maintain a crunchy crispy canelé. I tried air frying and baking in the oven and it's not even remotely as satisfying. If anyone has, let me know in the comments! Canelés are best enjoyed fresh within 3-5 hours of baking and served with tea or coffee.

If you must store canelés, store them in an airtight container on a countertop. Enjoy them as spongey cakes the next day.

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I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Leave a comment and rating below! You can also find me on Pinterest and Facebook, or stay in touch with me via my Newsletter!