I heard the buzz about that Jerry Seinfeld movie, but I never actually saw it. I was, however, quite captivated by the Honey-Glazed-Beehive Cake that recently graced the cover of a national magazine. Something about it just said summertime.One of my oldest possessions is a venerable edition of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. In the opening pages, Pooh is out walking in the 100 Aker Wood and hears a loud buzzing-noise. Pooh says to himself:
“That buzzing-noise means something. You don’t get a buzzing noise like that, just buzzing and buzzing, without it meaning something. If there’s a buzzing-noise, somebody’s making a buzzing-noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you’re a bee.”
Winnie-the-Pooh’s craving for honey is a literary legend.
After staring at the magazine cover for some time, I now have a bee in my bonnet. So I track down a special cake pan in the shape of a hive and get busy. The recipe in the magazine seems complicated enough to require a colony of bees to get it done, so I opt instead for a slightly simpler recipe.
While baking, my mind is humming with bee imagery, from the villainous Queen Bee who stung the Justice League of America, to music lyrics, to the comic antics of John Belushi’s King Bee on Saturday Night Live.
I am quite industrious and soon, my beehive is glazed with flowery golden honey from Vermont and swarming with marzipan bees.
There is a serious note to my musings. The worldwide honeybee population is in dramatic decline, perhaps impacting the pollination of one third of our food supply. Various organizations are seeking ways to help the honeybees.
I honestly don’t mean to drone on, and in fact, I really should buzz along. To paraphrase Winne-the-Pooh, “the only reason for making Lemon Beehive Cake with Honey Glaze is so I can eat it.”
©2008 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved
16 comments:
This cake would be perfect in Utah, where the beehive is the official state symbol!
Gorgeous!
So cute :)
hi, this beehive looks so pretty! I have never seen anything like this, and would love to try this out. Problem is I hardly ever bake, I don't know how to:-(
...and so you can share it with friends! What a lovely cake, and a beautiful homage to honeybees, to Pooh (I also have several editions of Winnie the Pooh, treasured from childhood), and to the fun of baking. Did you make the marzipan bees, too?
This is extremely cute, T.W.! You did a great job!
Kalyn - it was a tasty salute to Utah! Thanks so much!
Maryann - always hoping to entertain!
Shreya - Thanks so much for visiting. This is a pretty good cake for a baker who knows the basics.
Hi Lydia - Of course I shared! Most of the cakes reach a pretty wide audience, although this one went pretty quickly. As I was leaving the party tonight, I was asked, "Did you want to take any of your cake home?" :-) That would be a success! And, I did make the bees - lots of tiny finger work!
Hi Veron - Thanks so much! I really thought the lemon and honey was a nice combination!
I think your cake is much cuter than the MS version. The marzipan bees are darling.
Another beautiful cake. Your marzipan bees are most impressive.
I think that cake mold is the cutest thing ever! I am a huge Pooh fan as well. In fact I was just thinking about him this weekend when it was raining and I dug my pooh umbrella out - you gotta stay a kid in some ways!
So true about the honeybees too....I think it is good to make mention of these important ecological events once in a while!
Rochelle - thanks for the compliment! Maybe I can fill in for MS this summer?
Hi Kathy - people really seem to have developed an attachment to the bees, which is a bit different than real life!
Jenn - always glad to find another Pooh fan! I don't think its possible to grow out of Pooh!
Love it. t.w, Love it. What more can I say - except that the little bees are even more fun than the cake itself.
This cake is absolutely precious, TW! Super job! As for your serious note, I know what you mean. Did you happen to read the article about bees in the New Yorker last year? It was really informative, but I don't remember when it appeared.
Hi Janet - Many thanks! My little bees seem to have become a worldwide phenomenon!
Hi Susan! I will look for the article. Meanwhile, I've been asked to make the cake again when my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby visit on August. You know a cake is well-received when you are asked to make it again!
Oh what a fun original cake. How about the taste?
AmsterZanne - Welcome! Thanks for visiting! I loved the taste - not overtly sweet, with subtle flavors of lemon and honey. I used honey from Vermont with a light flavor of apple blossoms.
In have made the beehive cake recently for a fund raising event.
Easy to follow recipe and perfect result.
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