Recipe: Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake) Disney Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoon butter
2 each eggs
6-8 tablespoon milk

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup almonds

Filling:
3 each instant vanilla pudding mix (3 1/8 ounce box)
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
**This made about twice as much filling for my cake as needed. I suggest halfing the recipe and then making more as needed.

Honey and Sugar Mixture:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Cake:
Sift together the flours, salt and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
Then add the butter until mixed into flour mixture.
Heat milk until it is warm to touch. Add yeast to milk and dissolve.
In a mixing bowl, add the warm milk and yeast mixture to the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides but sticks to the bottom of the bowl.
Place on a floured surface and roll into a 10 inch circle to the thickness of 1/4 inch. Then place in a greased 10-inch cake pan.
Pre-heat oven to 350°.
Let sit in a warm place covered until the dough doubles in size.
Place topping mixture on top of proofed cake and bake in a 350° for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Let cool on wire racks. Once cooled, slice in half lengthwise using a serrated knife.
Brush both sides with the honey and sugar mixture.
Line a 10 inch cake pan with plastic wrap so it over hangs on the sides.
Place the bottom of cake in the pan. Spread the pudding and whipped cream mixture on the bottom of the cake. Then place the top portion of the cake on the pudding mixture.
Place in the refrigerator until cake sets.
Remove from pan carefully from by pulling the plastic wrap. Serve.

Baked, ready for filling.

Topping:
Warm milk. Add the sugar and mix until well dissolved.
Remove from heat and cool. Mix in the almonds.
This will be used as a topping for the cake.

Topping on and ready to bake.

Filling:
Add the pudding mix to the 4 cups of milk in a bowl.
Beat with a wire whisk or electric mixer at low speed for 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks.
Fold the heavy cream into the pudding mixture until well incorporated.

Honey and Sugar Mixture:
Mix together the ingredients. Heat until sugar dissolves. Cool at room temperature.

Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

My mom was diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance (thankfully NOT Celiac, but it's still pretty bad) a few years ago, so it's been an experience to figure out gluten free baked goods that she can handle. Having been able to eat things with flour for most of her life, the change has been challenging. So I am always on the look out for recipes that will work to help her not feel left out or having to eat something inferior tasting while we munch on good foods.

So in gearing up for our next movie theme (which is in two weeks, but I will announce another day) I went in search for the perfect GF cupcake recipe. I couldn't find anything that I liked, so I decided to modify existing recipes I've tried for other things and come up with my own. I have to say mom is a very happy camper with these, so I think this will be a success for anyone else wanting to bake them, too.

**This recipe makes a dozen regular sized cupcakes or 6 jumbo cupcakes**

Ingredients:

Cake:
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup plus ½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
cupcake liners


Filling:
½ stick of butter, softened
1 cup of powdered sugar
¼ tsp of vanilla extract
½ cup of creamy peanut butter
½ tsp of milk
couple handfuls of heath toffee bits


Frosting:
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1/8 cup heavy cream


Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and chocolate and melt in 30 second increments until the butter is melted; whisk until the chocolate butter mixture is smooth.
Whisk in the brown sugar, then eggs - one at a time - and mix until smooth.
Sift the cocoa powder into the mixture mix until combined.
Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick test comes out clean (15-20 minutes for smaller cupcakes).
Let fully cool before coring out the center of the cupcakes for filling.
**When cooling, the cupcakes may "deflate".**

Filling:
With a mixer mixer, on medium high, cream butter and peanut butter together for 2-5 minutes until mixture is creamy and smooth (it will be a lighter in color peanut butter look).
Add your powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated (slowly).
Continue mixing on medium high for 1 minute
Add vanilla and milk, mix for another minute. Filling should be thick and creamy. If it is not the consistency you want, continue mixing until desired consistency.
Do NOT begin filling cupcakes until they are fully cooled.
Take pastry tip and bag to fill (ziplock bags can be cheaper than disposable pastry bags) cupcake. If you do not have pastry tip or bag, use small spoon. Fill to the level of the top of cupcake.

Frosting:
In large bowl, beat softened butter, peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
Slowly mix in powdered sugar and cocoa until combined.
Add heavy cream and whip at least two minutes until light and fluffy.
You can either use a pastry bag and tip to frost, or just use a knife. Whatever you prefer. Top with more toffee bits.
**If frosting is too thick, add more cream one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. If frosting is too thin, add more sugar one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.**

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [Themed Dinner]

Banyan Beef Skewer, Turkish Stewed Green Beans, and rice.

When you think of Indiana Jones - what do you think of? Snakes? Rats? Nazi's melted faces? Monkey Brains? Yeah, it's not the easiest theme to go with... unless you like Monkey Brains and BBQ'd rat (I don't). So I went with a benign option. With it being The Last Crusade I thought middle eastern meets Germany somehow...

With our themed meals also working towards a countdown to a Disney trip (Disneyland this time) I also decided that we could use a recipe or two from the parks - which comes in handy with Indy as Adventureland's food cart is basically outside of the Indiana Jones ride. So off I went to scour the internet for inspiration.

I came away with the Banyan Beef Skewer recipe for our main course. Anytime beef is involved I'm pretty much there. And then I went with a Turkish stewed green beans dish and rice for the side dishes. It tied together very well. The family liked it (I didn't, but that's because I'm picky). There was just enough kick in the sauce to grab your attention and get you ready to fight off the Nazi's to save the world and find the Holy Grail.

The colors and smell were divine.

For dessert we traveled to Germany as I created a Bienenstich, which translated means Bee Sting Cake. I was very nervous on how it would turn out as I am not the best at doing cake layers with filling, but I was determined to get it right. I spent most of Friday afternoon and evening preparing it. After it set overnight I was excited (and still nervous) to serve it, but all things considered (I put a little TOO much filling) it came out great! And I even enjoyed the cake! We all agree it could easily be a frozen/ice cream like cake. YUM! Germany, you do things fantastically!

Because Mom is Gluten Intolerant she couldn't have the Bienenstich, so I made her a gluten free black forest type cake. She ate it before I could snap a picture.

Recipes used to create this menu:
Banyan Beef Skewers from Bengal BBQ
Turkish Stewed Green Beans
Bienenstich from EPCOT's Biergarten Restaurant
1-minute Black Forest Cake (Gluten Free)

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cornbread

Note: This is not my recipe. This is the recipe given out by Disney. 

This dessert will have your guests raving!

Ingredients:

Grand Marnier Strawberries
7.5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup Grand Marnier*
3 tablespoons sugar

Lemon Cornbread
1/2 cup canola oil
1.25 cups whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour**
1.25 cups sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cornmeal
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

Lemon Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Fresh whipped cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream, for serving.

Directions:
For strawberries:1. Combine 1.5 cups strawberries, Grand Marnier, and sugar in a blender, blending until smooth.

2. Combine remaining strawberries with pureed mixture in a large mixing bowl. Set aside to marinate.

For cornbread:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

2. Beat oil, milk, and eggs in a large bowl using an electric mixer.

3. Sift together flour, sugar, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until smooth.

4. Stir in cornmeal, then lemon juice and zest. 

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes.

For lemon syrup:
1. Mix sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container.

To Serve:
1. Cut cooled cornbread into 12 squares, trimming off top crust.

2. Drizzle each square of cornbread with 1 tablespoon of lemon syrup. Allow syrup to soak in for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. In a buttered frying pan, sear both sides of cornbread until golden brown. 

4. Top cornbread square with Grand Marnier strawberries, then top with whipped cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream.



*We substituted water for the Grand Marnier to save $$
**Since we have gluten intolerance in our family we substituted with our favorite gluten free flour blend.