Ingredients

   
675g milk
75g heavy cream
80g white chocolate, finely chopped
60g butter
1 vanilla bean (or 8g vanilla extract)
300g granulated sugar
3g fleur de sel
60g whole egg (~1 large)
90g egg yolk (~5 yolks)
80g aged rum
285g AP flour
12g matcha powder
  Beeswax for molds

Steps

  1. In a pot, combine milk, cream, butter, and vanilla. Heat to 175°F — do not boil. Remove from heat.

  2. Let cool 2–3 minutes until ~150°F. Add chopped white chocolate and stir gently until completely melted and smooth. White chocolate seizes above 110°F so be patient — it will melt from the residual heat.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, salt, eggs, and yolks together.

  4. Slowly pour about ¼ of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper. Sift in flour and matcha together, whisk until smooth.

  5. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until fully combined. Stir in rum.

  6. Strain through a sieve. Refrigerate overnight (24 hours minimum).

  7. Coat canelé molds with beeswax. Stir rested batter gently. Strain again if lumpy.

  8. Preheat oven to 525°F. Fill each mold with 70g of batter.

  9. Bake at 525°F for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven, drop to 375°F and continue baking for 45 minutes.

  10. Unmold immediately onto a cooling rack upside down. Cool 2 hours. Eat the same day.

Analysis

Total batter weight: 1720g (excludes beeswax)

Component Amount %
Structure solids (flour) 285g 16.6%
Fat (butter, cream, white chocolate, milk, yolk) 156g 9.1%
Sugar (added + white chocolate + lactose) 376g 21.9%
Liquid (milk, cream, rum, egg water) 818g 47.6%
Egg/protein 48g 2.8%

Structure at 16.6% is in the firm/cakey zone like the plain canelé — white chocolate adds fat and sugar but no cocoa solids, so it doesn’t change the structural math the way dark chocolate does. The 12g matcha is an inert solid (~0.7%, not counted as structure) that colors and flavors without setting. For a custardy white-choco-matcha, see the Ferrandi variant (#96), which cuts flour hard.

Notes

  • EXPERIMENTAL — this recipe is untested. Ratios adapted from the plain canelé with adjustments for white chocolate’s sugar and fat content.
  • White chocolate is very temperature-sensitive. Let the milk cool slightly before adding, and stir patiently. If it seizes (goes grainy), a quick blitz with a stick blender should save it.
  • Sugar reduced by 38g and butter reduced by 30g vs plain recipe to compensate for white chocolate’s sweetness and fat.
  • Flour stays the same as plain (unlike dark chocolate version) because there’s no cocoa powder replacing it.
  • Matcha at 12g gives a strong green tea flavor that should stand up to the white chocolate sweetness.
  • The batter will be pale green — expect the baked canelé to be a muted green-gold on the inside with the usual dark caramelized shell.
  • Use good white chocolate (Valrhona Ivoire, Callebaut W2) — cheap white chocolate is mostly sugar and palm oil.