Queen Bee

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The quintessential showoff cake. It was inspired by a Swiss candy bar containing honey and chocolate. Honey has been incorporated into almost every component but kept in the background as a subtle flavor that never becomes cloyingly sweet.
As optional décor, marzipan honey bees can be placed on the "hive" and suspended on angel hair pasta to give the illusion of bees hovering over the cake.
The cake should be assembled 1 to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. The completed cake without the bees can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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Ingredients

  • CAKE COMPONENTS
  • 1 recipe Biscuit de Savoie, bottom and top crust removed
  • 1 recipe Rum Nectar: when making the syrup for the biscuit, use dark rum as the liqueur and add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 recipe Royal Honey Buttercream
  • 1 9-inch chocolate disc made with 3 ounces quick-tempered chocolate and 1-inch random holes cut in it
  • 1 recipe Nougatine Honey Crunch
  • honey in a plastic squeeze dispenser
  • Optional
  • marzipan bees
  • angel hair pasta

Preparation

Step 1

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED
plasctic squeeze dispenser for dispensing honey

METHODS FOR ASSEMBLING THE CAKE
1. Spread a little buttercream on a 9-inch cardboard round to attach the cake.

2. Sprinkle each side of the cake layers with 1/3 cup Rum Nectar.

3. Sandwich the cake layers with 1/2 cup buttercream between each layer, ending with a layer of buttercream.

4. Use a sturdy pancake turner to lift the chocolate disc and place it on top of the buttercream.

5. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until the buttercream firms enough to hold the chocolate securely in place.

6. Frost the sides with the remaining buttercream.

7. Gently press the Nougatine Honey Crunch on the sides, supporting the cake on the palm of one hand and tilting it sightly towards the other hand, cupped to hold the nougatine.

8. Using a plastic dispenser bottle or small teaspoon, fill the cut-outs with little pools of honey. For a casual look, allow some honey to drip randomly onto the chocolate or brush some on the surface in irregular patterns.

9. Refrigerate if preparing one day ahead. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.

10. Garnish with the optional marzipan bees. To suspend the bees on pasta strands, use a heated metal cake tester to bore a small hole in the chocolate disc for inserting the pasta. Place a few bees near the honey pools so that they appear to be drinking the honey.

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