Beehive Cake
Recipe courtesy Basque Boulangerie Cafe
Honey Almond Praline:
2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter
2 ounces (1/3 cup) sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) honey
3/4 cup (2 ounces) almonds
Custard Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 envelope, plus 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cake:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast or 1 cake fresh yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooked
1 egg
1/3 jar caramel topping
To make the honey almond praline: Melt the butter, add sugar and honey, cook until bubbly and ingredients marry. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds. Let this mixture cool.
To make the custard filling: First place the sugar and cornstarch in a small to medium pan. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and milk together. Whisk them into the sugar and starch mixture in the pan. Cook this over low heat and gradually increase to a medium heat bringing the mixture to a boil. The mixture will bubble slowly. Whisk this bubbling mixture for 3 to 4 minutes and remove from heat.
Soak the gelatin in a 1/4 cup of warm water for 5 minutes. Add gelatin mixture to hot custard and whisk. Set aside to cool in a clean bowl. Cover with plastic to keep mixture from crusting and refrigerate until cool. After mixture has cooled, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla to medium peaks. Fold whipped cream into cooled custard. Make sure to whisk custard to creamy stage before gradually folding in whipping cream. Refrigerate until ready to fill split cake layers.
To make the cake: Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add yeast and sugar to the well. Add milk, cooled melted butter, and egg, and let sit for 2 minutes to soften yeast, whisk yeast and liquid ingredients only to dissolve yeast. Gradually whisk or beat in flour until well is blended. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead in enough flour only until dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading approximately 5 to 7 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover dough with a towel or plastic wrap and let dough rest approximately 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. Roll or pat dough into 9 inch, greased pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Spread cooled honey almond praline over dough. Let cake rest and double in height approximately, 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until golden approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
To assemble the cake: Cut cooled cake in half to make 2 layers. Drizzle 1/3 jar caramel over bottom layer. Top with the custard mixture. Place the top layer over the custard and refrigerate or freeze for several hours to firm up custard before cutting.
This recipe can be doubled and made into a half sheet cake the size of a jellyroll pan, this is wonderful to serve for breakfast gatherings, this cake will not be too sweet. If baking in half sheet, use a piece of cardboard to lift off top half of cake, you can use a flattened paper plate on round cake layers. Yield: 6 servings
Beehive Cake With Mocha Creole Frosting
2 c. sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 1/4 c. honey
2 eggs, unbeaten
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2/3 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
FROSTING:
1/2 c. butter
6 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 c. strong quality coffee
Sift flour once, measure, add soda and salt, and sift together three times. Cream shortening, add honey very gradually, by tablespoons at first, beating very hard after each addition to keep mixture thick. Add one-fourth of the flour and beat until smooth and well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add chocolate and blend. Add remaining flour in thirds, alternately with water, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; blend. Pour batter into three 8-inch layer pans which have been lined on the bottom with wax paper, and one 10-ounce custard cup, which has been greased and floured. Bake in moderate oven at 350° for 25 minutes or until done. Cool. To make the beehive: cut the 8-inch layers to make 7-inch, 6-inch and 5 1/2-inch layers. Cover top of 7-inch layer with mocha creole frosting. Place 6-inch layer on this and spread with frosting. Repeat with 5 1/2-inch layer and custard cup layer. Spread frosting over sides to give a rounded effect. Draw ridges around sides with spatula to resemble a beehive. Frosting: Cream butter and add part of sugar gradually, blending after each addition. Add vanilla, salt and chocolate and mix well. Add remaining sugar, alternately with coffee until of right consistency to spread. Beat after each addition until smooth. Yields 3 1/2 cups frosting.
