A comparison of popular canelé recipes by ratio, to understand what makes the interior custardy vs cakey and what drives richness.

The Recipes

Six recipes normalized to percentage of total batter weight:

  Ours (Marchal) Kitchen Projects Baken Taste of Artisan Saveur Thermomix Japanese
Total batter 1696g 868g 1030g 1060g 1060g 860g 860g
Flour % 16.8% 11.5% 14.6%* 9.4% 9.4% 10.5% 16.3%
Sugar % 19.9% 21.9% 21.8% 18.9% 20.8% 23.3% 17.4%
Fat % 9.7% 8.5% 6.0% 6.6% 6.6% 1.2% 4.3%
Liquid % 48.9% 51.8% 51.5% 52.8% 59.3% 61.6% 64.0%
Egg % 8.8% 8.6% 7.8% 14.2% 9.4% 8.1% 11.6%
Egg type 1 whole + 5 yolks Yolks only Yolks only 2 whole + 2 yolks 1 whole + 4 yolks 2 whole + 1 yolk 2 whole

*Baken’s 14.6% includes 25g cornstarch which adds structure differently than flour.

What Each Component Does

Component Role More = Less =
Flour Structure, sets the interior Cakey, firm Custardy, soft (but fragile)
Sugar Sweetness, caramelization, moisture retention Darker shell, sweeter Paler, less caramel
Fat (butter + cream + yolk fat) Richness, mouthfeel, tenderness Richer, more indulgent Lean, less depth
Liquid (milk + cream + rum) Hydration Thinner batter, more custard-like Thicker, more structured
Egg protein Binding, setting, emulsification More set, sturdier Fragile, may collapse

Key Findings

Flour is the biggest lever for custard vs cake texture. Recipes that people describe as “custardy” tend to have flour at 9–14% of total batter. Above 15%, the interior starts to feel cakey or bread-like.

Fat drives richness. Our recipe at 9.7% fat is the richest of the bunch — cream + butter + egg yolks. The Japanese recipe at 4.3% fat was “custardy but not rich or deep in flavor.” Fat = flavor.

Egg yolks vs whole eggs matter. Yolks contribute fat, emulsification, and custard richness without the structure that whites add. Recipes using mostly yolks tend to be richer and more custardy. Recipes using more whole eggs are sturdier (easier to unmold) but less luxurious.

Cornstarch adds structure that makes things more “set.” Both Baken’s recipe and the DIY cake flour hack (AP + cornstarch) introduce gelatinized starch that firms up the interior more than flour protein alone.

The Custardy Sweet Spot

Based on this analysis, the ideal ratios for a rich, custardy canelé appear to be:

Component Target %
Flour 12–14%
Sugar 19–22%
Fat 7–10%
Liquid 49–55%
Egg 8–10% (heavy on yolks)

Our Next Experiment

Reducing flour from 285g to 240g brings us from 16.8% → 14.1%, right at the top of the custardy range while keeping all the richness (cream, butter, yolks).

Chocolate Canelé Ratios

Chocolate canelés are a different beast. The melted chocolate contributes fat, structure (cocoa solids), and sugar simultaneously — replacing some of the work that flour, butter, and sugar each do separately in the plain version.

Chocolate Recipes Compared

  Ours (#92, Marchal-adapted) Ferrandi (#94) Tefal Thermomix (choc)
Total batter ~1360g ~960g ~400g ~860g
Flour % 14.7% (200g) 2.1% (20g) 12.5% (50g) 10.5% (90g)
Cornstarch % 0% 2.1% (20g) 0% 3.5% (30g cocoa)
Cocoa % 2.2% (30g) 0% 5% (20g) 3.5% (30g)
Chocolate % 5.9% (80g) 13.0% (125g) 20% (80g) 0%
Sugar % 18.4% (250g) 20.8% (200g) 18.8% (75g) 23.3% (200g)
Fat % (butter+cream+choc fat+yolk fat) ~10.7% ~11.8% ~10% ~3.5%
Liquid % 44.5% 48.4% 56.3% 61.6%
Egg % 11.0% 15.6% 7.5% 8.1%

Key Findings — Chocolate

Chocolate replaces flour for structure. The Ferrandi recipe uses only 40g of flour+starch total (4.2%) yet holds together because 125g of melted dark chocolate provides cocoa butter (sets firm when cooled) and cocoa solids (absorb liquid, add body). This is why it’s so intensely custardy — almost no gluten at all.

Two approaches exist:

  1. “Chocolate + cocoa” approach (our #92, Tefal, Thermomix) — Keep a moderate amount of flour, add cocoa powder for color/flavor, add some melted chocolate. More structured, sturdier, easier to unmold. More like “chocolate-flavored canelé.”

  2. “All-chocolate, minimal flour” approach (Ferrandi #94) — Barely any flour, rely on eggs and chocolate for structure. Much more custardy and intensely chocolatey. More like “chocolate custard in a shell.” Described as “creamy” and “pudding-like.”

Fat is higher across all chocolate recipes compared to plain, because chocolate itself is ~50% cocoa butter. Even without adding extra butter/cream, the chocolate bumps up total fat significantly.

The Ferrandi recipe’s egg % is highest at 15.6% — it needs more egg protein to compensate for the almost-zero flour. The eggs are doing most of the structural work.

Chocolate Canelé Sweet Spot

Component Target %
Flour + starch 2–15% (depends on how much chocolate)
Chocolate 6–13% (higher = more intense, less flour needed)
Sugar 18–23%
Fat (total) 10–12%
Liquid 44–55%
Egg 11–16% (more needed if flour is low)

The tradeoff is clear: more chocolate + less flour = more custardy + harder to unmold. Pick your spot on that spectrum.

Sources