Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Bzzzzzzzzz~



I made the little cupcakes for Mother's Day..But this is what I was really looking forward to~
Martha's Honeybee Cake..
Although I loved the look of the outcome..and so did Lulu..

I found it a bit dry..So I will continue to experiment..the glaze..AND syrup are delicious!

Perhaps I baked it a touch too long:)

I longed for this pan for 2 yrs before succumbing to the temptation..
It's worth it..Not too big..looks great under a pretty net dome..and hearing Lulu's exclamations.. ..worth it's weight in gold..

Bzzz..




The bees I have shared with you before..Here is Martha's recipe for the cake~


Ingredients

Serves 10

* FOR THE CAKE
* 3 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour, plus more for mold
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* Ground cloves
* 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for mold
* 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
* 2/3 cup honey
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
* 6 large egg whites, room temperature
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* FOR THE HONEY GLAZE
* 2/3 cup honey
* 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
* 2 2/3 ounces (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* FOR THE SUGAR GLAZE
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 3/4 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
* Marzipan Bees

Directions

1. Make the cake: Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of a beehive mold with butter, making sure to cover all areas. Dust mold with flour, tap out excess, and freeze until ready to use.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and a pinch of cloves. Cream butter and brown sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed; drizzle in honey. Beat on high until very pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Transfer batter to a large bowl.
3. Whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into cake batter, then fold in the remaining whites.
4. Divide batter between molds, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more (a tester inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean). Transfer molds to a wire rack, and let cakes cool in pans for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Turn out cakes, supporting them with your hand, and place flat sides on rack. Let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day).
6. Carefully trim the flat sides of the cake halves with a serrated knife so each is level. Align the halves to make sure they are flush, then separate.
7. Make the honey glaze: Bring honey, brown sugar, and butter to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla, and remove from heat. Let cool for 1 minute.
8. Brush a coat of honey glaze on the flat side of each cake half. Gently press halves together, and let set upright for 5 minutes. (If they don't stay together, place a small bowl over top to hold the 2 sides together while glaze sets.) Carefully transfer beehive to a rack set over parchment. Spoon remaining warm honey glaze over cake until the cake is completely covered. Let stand until set.
9. Make the sugar glaze: Bring water to a boil. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar, and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat; let cool for 3 minutes. Spoon some glaze over cake. (If too runny, add more sugar until glaze is the consistency of thick honey.) Pour 1/2 of the glaze over cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Let set for 5 minutes, then spoon remaining glaze on top. Arrange marzipan bees on cake, pressing gently to adhere to glaze. Serve immediately.

Helpful Hint

This recipe accommodates a 9- to 11-cup beehive mold (available at nordicware.com), which comes split in two parts; a honey glaze glues the two halves together. Both glazes for this cake need to be made right before assembly. If they become too firm, rewarm gently over low heat.


PS my mold is the NordicWare one~

16 comments:

  1. Just catching up on your beautiful site after several days away. So very beautiful! Your Mother's Day looked as if a dream. Spring in the garden - it brings such joy to see what has survived the winter.

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  2. I can't believe my eye's...I was going to make my Lemon Poppy Seed cake in this mold (I got mine at William's Sonoma last year) for Mother's day, but used my rose mold instead. I'm glad I didn't now because your cake is the ultimate....and now I have a new standard! Once again, fabulous job!
    Diane

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  3. Merçi les filles..

    It was a fun little project..

    How nice of you to say it's ok:) The bees seemed a bit cartoonish on this cake to me...I would like to find dainty ones..Diane..I will keep checking your blog and try your cake next time..

    Ry..I need traveling shoes:) You wouldn't think mine are attractive though:)

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  4. It looks beautiful, Monique..and the thumbs up from L makes it worthwhile for sure.
    I think your bees look very good, honey,,:)

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  5. What a fun cake, Miss M. I love the little bees, and its so pretty with the glaze. This turns any day into a special occasion.

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  6. I saw that mold in a catalog and I thought "How cute is that?" Even though you said it was kind of dry, it looks amazing!

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  7. I am sooo glad that you posted this! I have this cake mold (after lusting after it, like you, for a long time), but I have not tried the recipe. I was reluctant to do so, because I don't always have luck with Martha's recipes. Now I know that the glaze is wonderful and the cake is a bit dry - thank you!

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  8. I saw that pan and wanted it right away! SOOO cool to see you have it!! Incredible creation!!!

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  9. I found you on TS and I had to come here to tell you how beautiful that cake is!

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  10. So sooo very cute! I just think it's adorable.

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  11. Oh Monique - so pretty!! Mine would be dry for sure - beacuse it would take me forever to get the nerve to slice into such a pretty cake. I would probably leave it out on the counter for show instead. Love the bee video you shared some time ago :)

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  12. Beautiful, Monique! I'll have to search your site for the bumble bees!

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  13. Yours came out beautifully Monique!
    I love the wet-look of your glaze; mine must have been too thin, the cake soaked it right up leaving just a trace.

    Your special bees put it right over the top! I'm sure it was quite the attraction. The children are so fortunate to have you as their Nana! :)

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  14. I've admired this mould for a while at William Sonoma. NIce to actually see it in action :)

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  15. J'ai regardé ce moule chez William's Sonoma dix fois l'année dernière ... Pas pris ! Dommage car ce que tu en as fait là est tout simplement superbe ! Bravo et re-bises
    Hélène

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  16. I think if you plan on making cakes for the rest of your life..and have fun making them..this mold's for you:)

    Caroline reminded me of Lulu's words.. "I just can't believe you made that" he's 3..
    Like the Master Card or Visa commercial..Priceless..to me:)
    Thank you..I was excited to make this for them.

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