You won't have to travel all the way to Bordeaux to enjoy this crispy, chewy treat
Is it spelt “canelé” or “cannelé” ? This question alone sparks major debates in Bordeaux, the city where this famous little gâteau made its debut.
During the 17th century, a time of booming colonial trade, Bordeaux became the busiest port of France. Ships from the French West Indies would flood into the port, filled with coveted spices, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, rum and sugar.
Legend has it that the nuns of a local convent would salvage leftover flour, rum, vanilla and sugar from open gunny sacks and leftover wooden crates found lying around the port. Egg yolks were taken from wine cellars where egg whites were used to clarify wine. These leftover ingredients would then be made into little rum-spiked cakes that were handed out to the poor and the homeless by the nuns themselves.
Today, however, things are a little different. canelés are found all over the world, made with the finest ingredients. With that, we've rounded up six bakeries that serve these delicious treats for you to enjoy with a cup of your afternoon tea.
See also: 10 Best Places For Tiramisu In Hong Kong
Rise by Classified
At the newly-opened Rise by Classified, Bordeaux native and head baker Julien Renaud has debuted his take on the canelé that uses a 70-year-old family recipe passed down through the generations from his grandfather. Biting through the chewy, caramelised shell, the pastry reveals a soft and pillowy interior that imparts appetising honey and tangerine notes—even better is its large size relative to its peers, making for a worthy breakfast contender all on its own. At HK$28 per piece, pick up one of Renaud's canelés with a cup of coffee made using the El Costeño house blend at their Exchange Square location.
Rise by Classified, Shop 313, 3/F, Exchange Square Podium, 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong