The first time I made vegan canelé was almost two years ago. ↓
https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2020/05/09/vegan-canele/
But it’s still one of the most visited posts on my blog.
I just recently received a message from someone, who told me that she has been trying the recipe several times but unfortunately without success.
I wanted to give her some advice, but since it was a while ago I made them, I couldn’t really remember much, so I decided to revisit the recipe and make some again.
I used the same recipe, which was referenced in my previous post, but here it is.↓
https://highteasociety.com/recipe/vegan-canele-recipe/
This time I paid a little more attention to each process, and I wrote down several things I wanted to keep as my own notes and also to share with others.
- The tofu does not have to be “silken” tofu. Soft tofu works.
- The recipe calls for salad oil, but olive oil (NOT extra virgin so that it doesn’t have a strong flavor) works as well. I believe I used salad oil last time, but this time I used olive oil instead only because that’s what I had. I did not notice any significant difference.
- I do let the batter rest in the fridge for 24 hours as directed.
- The batter has to be creamy but not too thick when poured into molds. It has to be thin enough so that you can “pour” into the molds from the bowl. In order to achieve the thickness, I add 4 to 6 tablespoons of rum. When the batter is too thick, it seems to result in a dense and gummy texture, without their signature interior look.
- I greased the mold with oil before pouring the batter.
- The oven temperature is important. I’m in the U.S., so I preheat my oven at 440F. Bake at that temperature for 9 minutes at 440F and then lower the temperature to 355F and continue to bake for 1 hour. I place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Once done, unmold right away. Cool them completely. I usually let them cool for 2 hours before I touch or eat them. They may seem soft when they are just out of the oven, but they will harden and create a nice crusty exterior while cooling down.
- Eat and enjoy them the same day. They are not the same the next day.
These turned out great!
Exactly what you want for canelé, a rich dark colored crusty exterior and a custardy interior.
Scrumptious!
This time I also experimented a little.
The recipe calls for rice flour, but I also made another batch where I used all-purpose flour.
The batter became a bit thicker than the rice flour version, so I added a bit more rum.
But this turned out really well, too.
The interior was perfect, maybe even a bit better than the rice flour version, in all the areas, the look, texture, and taste.
On the other hand, the exterior had a lighter color and a softer crust, particularly on the top, unfortunately.
The top is the rice flour version, and the bottom is the all-purpose flour version.
Next time if I use all-purpose flour, I will raise the initial oven temperature a little more, or I may put the rack lower (so that the “top” will be closer to the bottom heat), or I may not use the sheet pan and directly put the mold on the rack, or all of the above.
These are so delicious, and it’s definitely worth a try.
Canelé has a special place even in the world of dessert, and I’m so happy that I can continue to enjoy it as a plant-eater.
I hope this post helps those who are interested in making vegan canelé.
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https://www.instagram.com/culinarytribune/
