This cake is a tribute to both the elegance
 and ingenuity of honeybees. The shape of
 the cake is based on an ancient beehive
 called a skep, which was made of a coiled
 basket. Under the hovering marzipan bees
 are layers of banana cake, pecans and
 honey-scented buttercream.


Beehive Cake Recipe
Makes one 8 inch cake
 Prep Time: 1 hour
 Baking Time: 40 minutes
 Level: multiple steps, but all of them are easy


Banana Cake:

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2teaspoon salt
 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
 1 cup sugar
 1/2cup honey
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 2 eggs, room temperature
 1 1/2 cups banana puree (about 4 bananas)
 1/2cup buttermilk
Honey-Pecan Buttercream:

 1 cup egg whites
 2 cups sugar
 1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
 1/4 cup honey
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 1 1/4 cups pecan pieces, lightly toasted and cooled
 yellow food coloring
Marzipan Bees:

 1/4 cup marzipan
 1/4 cup sliced almond
 black food coloring
To bake the cake:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 Butter and flour an 8-inch cake
 pan and an 8-inch metal mixing
 bowl.

 Line the cake pan with a parchment
 paper round. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together
 the flour, baking powder, baking
 soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

 In a mixer fitted with the paddle
 attachment, cream together the
 butter and sugar until light in
 color and fluffy.

 Mix in the honey and vanilla.

 Add the eggs one at a time,
 mixing well after each.

 Add the banana puree and mix
 until incorporated.

 Alternate between adding the
 flour mixture and buttermilk,
 starting and ending with the
 dry ingredients.
Divide the batter between the
 cake pan and the prepared bowl.
Bake the cakes for about 40 minutes,
 or until a tester comes out clean.

 The cake in the bowl may take a few
 more minutes.

 Remove and allow to cool completely.


 To make the buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine
 the egg whites and sugar.

 It will be very thick and grainy.
Put the bowl over a double boiler
 and stir it with a rubber spatula
 until the sugar is completely
 melted.

 Brush the sides down with the spatula
 to make sure all the sugar is melted.

 Feel the egg mixture between your
 fingers to check for graininess.

 Once it is completely smooth, put the
 bowl on the mixer and beat with the
 whip attachment on medium-high speed.
Whip until it is light, fluffy, glossy and
 the bowl feels just about room
 temperature.

 If the egg whites are not cooled off
 sufficiently it will melt the butter
 when you add it.
Once the egg whites are whipped and
 cooled, add the butter, 2 tablespoons
 at a time on medium speed.

 WARNING:

 After you have added about half of
 the butter, it may look curdled and
 runny; this is normal and you
 should continue adding the rest of
 the butter.
Once you have finished adding the
 butter and it has mixed on medium
 speed for about a minute the
 buttercream will be creamy and
 glossy-looking again.

 Add the honey, salt and vanilla.
Divide the buttercream in half
 and add the pecans to one
 batch and the yellow food
 coloring to the other.

 Cut each of the cake layers in half.

 Start with the cake-pan layers and
 fill them with the pecan buttercream.

 Repeat with the rounded layers
 baked in the metal bowl.
Use a small portion of the yellow
 buttercream to create a crumb
 coat on your cake.

 The crumb coat locks in the crumbs
 and guarantees that your cake will
 have no unwanted crumbs on the
 outside.
Now you are ready to add the final
 coat of buttercream.

 Put on a nice, thick, smooth layer;
 you will end up scraping some of it
 off as you create the spiral.

 Use a decorating spatula to gently
 press the cake as you slowly spin
 the cake turntable.

 Start at the top and make your
 way down the cake.
 To create the marzipan bees:

 Take a small piece of the marzipan
 and roll it between the palms of
 your hands until it is lozenge-shaped.

 You can taper one end slightly to
 be the back of the bee.

 Paint the stripes on the marzipan
 with a clean paintbrush or toothpick
 and black food coloring.

 Allow it to dry until it is no longer
 tacky.
Once the stripes are dry, press the
 sliced almonds into the sides to create
 the bees’ wings.

 You can use toothpicks cut at different
 lengths to suspend the bees over the
 cake or lay them right on the surface.


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