Traditional Romanian Honey Cake - “Little bee”

In the end, I finally did it! The recipe for Claudia cake — also known as Albinita, Dulcineea, or… who knows what else people call it. The one with honey sheets, semolina cream, and jam — everyone’s favorite.

It’s the perfect cake for the holidays!

For one 20 × 30 cm pan

(approximately 1.8 kg of cake)

Honey Sheets

• 90 g Oil

• 90 g Milk

• 135 g Sugar

• 80 g Honey

Place everything in a saucepan over low heat and warm gently, just until the sugar dissolves (about 40–45°C).

• 1 Egg

• 7.5 g Baking Soda

• 460 g Flour

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add, one by one, mixing after each addition: the egg, the baking soda, and finally the flour.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece out on a sheet of parchment paper to 20 × 30 cm, prick with a fork (or… whatever works 😄), and bake at 165°C with fan for 5–5½ minutes.

Semolina Cream

• 500 g Milk

• 125 g Sugar

• 6 g Vanilla

Place everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

• 50 g Semolina

Add the semolina while whisking and cook for about 5 minutes.

• 150 g Butter

Add the butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap in contact, and refrigerate for a few hours.

Assembly

• 230 g Apricot Jam

Once both the cream and the sheets have cooled, assemble the cake:

• Spread half of the cream over the first sheet

• Place the second sheet on top and spread the apricot jam

• Add the third sheet, then the remaining cream

• Finish with the last sheet (save the prettiest one for the top)

After a few hours in the fridge it’s ready, but I strongly recommend letting it rest for at least 24 hours — it’s much better that way.