I love cakes, the taste of a delicious cake is like a melody in my ears. I grew up watching my mother baking cakes with few ingredients and home-made materials but they always tasted sweet any way. Today, it’s easier with modern technology where a good number of Rwandans have ovens in their kitchens.
There are so many types of cakes and the difference comes because of ingredients used. If you want to experiment, try the tradition German Bienenstich (or Bee Sting) cake, using pastry cream lightly scented with lavender according to Lora Wiley-Lennartz, German Food Expert.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 teaspoons dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- Six tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus
- 1 pinch salt
For the topping:
- 1 stick plus three tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey (I used lavender honey)
- 2 cups blanched almond leaves
- 5 tablespoons milk
For the lavender pastry cream:
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender plus more for garnish, if desired
- 2 cups milk
- 3/4 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten.
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoons butter
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 110 minutes
Yield: 24 pieces
Preparation:
Warm 1/2 cup of the milk. Add the yeast and dissolve.
In a bowl, combine the flour, the egg, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup white granulated sugar and pinch of salt. Add the yeasted milk and knead into a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and stow in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Grease and flour a 12×14 inch baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead once more.
Transfer to the baking sheet and roll out the dough to fit the pan. Stow in a warm place for 45 minutes.
In a saucepan over medium heat melt 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup white granulated
Make the topping:
Sugar and the lavender honey together. Stir in the almond leaves. Stir in 5 tablespoon of milk. Remove them mixture from the heat and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Brush the honey almond mixture over the top of the dough.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Make the lavender pastry cream:
1. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Place the dried lavender, milk, sugar and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture starts to boil and has thickened.
3. Strain the dried lavender pieces out of the mixture. Then slowly pour the mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper them. Add the tempered egg yolks back to the sauce pan and stir to combine.
Stir in the butter.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic cling film, making sure the plastic touches the surface of the pastry cream.
Chill for at least 2 hours. Whip the heavy cream and fold into the chilled lavender cream.
Assemble the Cake:
Cut the cooled cake into quarters from the short side of the pan. Working with one rectangle at a time, slice the rectangle in half horizontally, remove the top portion of the cake, fill with the lavender pastry cream and replace the top cake layer. Once you have filled the four sections, cut the sections into smaller, serving size rectangles. If desired, sprinkle dried lavender over the top for garnish before serving