Kim-Joy’s recipe for rum and vanilla canelé candles

Make these in advance for the best flavour and texture, although I have made a few on the same day and they were still delicious. Be warned that, if you choose to use it, the beeswax mixture can be very messy, as it will instantly harden and cling to anything it lands on. And beeswax is an ingredient that you will probably use just for canelés and nothing else. But it is worth it if you grow to love making canelés as much as I do.

Makes: 12-14 medium canelés
500g whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 vanilla pods)
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
50g salted butter
100g strong white bread flour
3½ tbsp rum
Plus extra butter to grease (or 60% beeswax and 40% butter)

To decorate
100g icing sugar
20g water
Plus extra icing sugar/water to adjust consistency
Edible eyes
Candles

Put the milk and vanilla bean paste in a small pan, heat until starting to simmer, then turn off the heat and leave to cool for about three minutes. (If using vanilla pods, slice them open, scrape out the seeds and add these at the start.) Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar, eggs and egg yolks. Melt the butter in the microwave, then whisk in.

Add a quarter of the milk mixture to the eggs and whisk in. Then add a quarter of the flour and keep whisking. Keep alternating and mixing well, adding the rum, too, until everything is incorporated. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, then place in the fridge to chill for at least 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake, heat your oven to as hot as it will go, then coat your moulds. You can use any moulds, but copper will give the best results. If using silicone or metal, just coat with a little butter. You can use just butter in the copper moulds, too, but the canelés will have a shinier crust and slide out more easily if you use a mixture of 60% beewax and 40% butter (melt them in short bursts in the microwave). In order to get a thin and even coating, you will need to pour the beeswax-butter mix into the moulds, then straight back out.

Fill the moulds to about 1cm from the top, then bake for 10 minutes at maximum heat, then a further 45 minutes at 200C (180C fan)/400F/gas mark 6. The canelés should be a very deep, dark and caramelised brown colour on top.

Remove from the moulds straight away, tapping if they are a little resistant to come out. Place on a cooling rack.

Whisk together the icing sugar and water. Once the canelés are cool, decorate by dripping icing down the sides. Then add edible eyes and a candle on top of each. Light the candles to serve; they are perfect for a mini-celebration.