1 week Ago By Gaby Soutar
If you’ve ever been to Bordeaux, you’ll probably have spotted their signature cake, which looks a bit like a miniature ribbed sandcastle. This is the canelé, and, for fans and those who want to celebrate the Auld Alliance, there’s now a place in the New Town of Edinburgh , Project Canelé, that specialises in these treats. We spoke to its proprietor, Sammie Fisher, who co-owns the business with her partner, Fraser Irvine, about their new bakery .
Tell us about your backgrounds. We both come from a hospitality background, Fraser as a pastry chef and I run front-of-house. Our love for food and coffee has been the driving force behind our business.
Fraser spent a lot of time in the south west of France as a child. That’s where he fell in love with the canelé. This passion became the inspiration behind Project Canelé, bringing a piece of that experience to life.
Where is the business? We’re located at 150 Dundas Street. We recently held a soft launch and were blown away by the incredible support from everyone who came through the door. Now, with everything coming together, we’re excited to welcome a wider audience and are delighted to announce that we will be open Wednesday to Sunday each week.
Why did you choose the location? Dundas Street felt like the perfect fit for us. It’s a lively, community-driven area that allows us to connect with a diverse mix of customers, from locals to visitors seeking something unique. The visibility, high foot traffic, and welcoming atmosphere give us the ideal space to showcase our pastries while building relationships with both retail and wholesale customers.
It’s a great foundation for Project Canelé to grow, and we’re excited to be part of this thriving neighbourhood. What’s the interior like? Our open kitchen at the front allows customers to see our pastries being made and smell them baking, adding to the atmosphere. The space is bright yet cosy, with seating for those who want to enjoy their pastries with a coffee, as well as a takeaway options.
We’ll be launching our website soon, allowing us to offer courier delivery so more people can enjoy our canelés, no matter where they are. What makes the perfect canelé? For us, it’s all about balance, with a deeply caramelised, slightly crunchy exterior giving way to a soft, custard-like centre. Using high-quality ingredients like whole Grade A Madagascan vanilla, and fine dark rum is key.
Every step, from resting the batter to baking in copper moulds, plays a role in achieving that perfect texture and depth of flavour. How did you get the recipe right, and were there any mistakes along the way? Canelés are deceptively simple yet notoriously tricky to master. Fraser led the charge in perfecting our recipe, and let’s just say, if we had a canelé for every failed batch, we could’ve built a small fort with them.
Some batches were misshapen, others just wouldn’t caramelise properly, but each mistake helped us fine-tune the process. After countless tweaks (and a lot of taste-testing), we finally landed on the perfect balance of a crisp, caramelised shell and a soft, custardy centre. At this point, we’ve probably eaten enough canelés to last a lifetime, but somehow, we’re still not sick of them.
Are they best teamed with tea or coffee ? Canelés are pretty versatile, but for us, nothing beats having one with a great cup of coffee. The rich, caramelised crust and custardy centre make for the perfect bite between sips. That said, they also pair beautifully with lighter, aromatic teas.
We’ve tried them with just about everything, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and even a sneaky glass of wine. What time of day are they best eaten? Honestly, any time is a good time for a canelé. In the morning, they’re the perfect sweet boost to start the day.
By the afternoon, they somehow feel even more indulgent. Maybe it’s just us, but they seem to change personality depending on the time of day. Does anywhere else in the city offer these cakes ? Edinburgh has an incredible food scene, but as far as we know, no one else is dedicated to canelés quite like we are.
That said, we want as many people as possible to experience them, so we wholesale our canelés to some of our favourite coffee shops and stores across the city, meaning you might spot them in a few different places. Is there anything else on the menu? Yes! While canelés are our signature, we’ve put together a small but exciting menu that will evolve over time. Alongside them, we’re serving flan pâtissier, chouquettes, chocolate nemesis, and sandwiches all made with our own bread.
For drinks, we’ve partnered with Artisan Roast to serve specialty coffee. We’re also working on creative upcycled products made from unsold canelés, focusing on sustainability and minimising waste, so nothing delicious goes to waste. Are you nervous about opening or excited? A bit of both.
There are always some nerves when launching something you’ve put so much heart into, but more than anything, we’re excited. Seeing the response at our soft launch was incredible, and it’s only made us more eager to officially open our doors. We can’t wait to share our passion for canelés and create a space where people can enjoy them just as much as we do.
Follow Project Canelé on Instagram @projectcanele.
