Traditional Polish Marzipan Beehive Confections for Prince William’s 1st Birthday Celebration

March 5, 2016 by Valerie Lugonja 22 Comments

Known as “Ule” or “Ciasteczka Ule” in Poland (a hilarous window into Momsy and Gramsy relationships)

Polish Marzipan Beehive or “Ciasteczka Ule” was the answer I discovered when searching for Winnie the Pooh First Birthday Party Theme ideas to help my daughter, Lauren, with William’s first birthday (my one and only grandson). I focused on honey for a bit. We all know how Winnie loves his honey. I came across these images doing a google search and investigated a great deal further, immediately smitten with the mold!

I wrote to Moje Wypieki and he provided me with the link of the company in Poland where he purchased his molds. Thank you, Moje! I then wrote to the company, or person: Jaar Poznan to place my order.

Brushed with gold dust, but not appealing; however that is what you are seeing on the outer bit of the shell.

What truly wonderful people. The mold is very little money, but the postage was double the cost of the item, or more. In the end, the little mold cost me 30 CA, but was so very worth it to me, and they sent me a couple of others as “gifts” with some lovely pamphlets in English. I was tickled.

I find when I reach out to like minded “strangers”, I almost always make a new friend.

As I had no frame of reference for texture or flavour of the Ciasteczka Ule, I read as many recipes as I could find on line using my trusty friend, Google Translate, to assist. Translating recipes, he is pretty capable of doing. Not so much else. (The gold leaf on my “Queen bee” rubbed away in transport.)

I had planned on plating these like a confection, but this worked, too.

Polish Marzipan Beehive: Making the Marzipan

I apologize for consistently sounding like a broken record, but my passion for the Thermomix machine is reinforced every day I use it. Making nut pastes (and butters) and marzipan effortlessly is one of its many abilities. Also, above, look at how granulated sugar becomes powdered sugar in literally 3 seconds. Seriously. No fillers. No additives. Yes, my friends, even icing sugar has additives. (Not that we use it that much, but it is representative of everything we buy to eat these days.)

Almonds ground, sugar pulverized and eggs added. Voilà! One minute later, we have marzipan!

This recipe called for an egg. Many do not, but I find the egg seems to provide a more velvety texture to the mix.

Polish Marzipan Beehive: Molding the Marzipan Beehive Shells

The shell of the confection is prepared with any kind of nut with sugar. Cocoa is sometimes added. Above, is the smallest mold. I have the larger one and the middle sized one (which doesn’t come with the bee on it). This very straightforward sweet nut paste is placed into the mold, center hollowed for the filling, then left to cure for at least 24 hours so the nut oils settle and the shell walls gain strength.

I had lots of trouble with sticking, but found that the lightest skiff of icing sugar brushed into the mold enabled a delicate, but easy, release.

I used a small ball of the nut paste, pushed it into the mold, stuck my finger into the center of the mold and pushed the paste toward the sides to open up a large hollow space for the filling. Then, cut the excess off to even the bottom.

When releasing from the mold, it is important to set the mold on the parchment paper, open one side and if the other side appears to be a bit sticky, close it back up, lift it up and loosen the other side upside down in your hand by opening that side first. Then, place it back on the parchment and open it again. Both sides should release. Be gentle. The shells are still very moist and flexible at this point.

See the little shards of marzipan sticking out around the edges of the hive when released from the mold? I used my favourite ultra sharp Japanese knife to shave them off. A razor blade would be another option. This should wait until after the shells have cured and are more stable.

Cured for 24 to 48 hours without any covering in the fridge, these little hives just got their hair cut.

Polish Marzipan Beehive: Filling the Marzipan Beehive Shells

Each centre is filled with a creamy filling. Many different concoctions are possible, but all are simple. Not more than 3-4 ingredients: eggs, sugar, butter and/or cream and the flavouring. Advocaat seemed to be the most traditional flavouring or filling after the sugar and butter. The filling wiped up in seconds in the Thermomix and was placed in a piping bag. Each shell is very firm at this point, though definitely don’t hold them in a warm hand for too long. It is important to fill each while still cold and firm.

The reason my filling does not appear creamy is that it was also cold.

A great tip for getting the last bits of filling out of the pastry bag: push it to the tip with a D-shaped spatula. And, that’s all she wrote. Almost.

Shortbread Wafer Bottoms for the Marzipan Beehive Molds

The variety of bottoms possible for the confection left me confused: waffles, cookies, any round little cover, really. Hmmm. Rice paper? I had some small rounds, still too big, which I cut to fit, above. Though it stuck, it tasted papery and just didn’t add any value to the flavour or texture profile. I could imagine nothing tastier that my mom’s homemade shortbread recipe. I have made them wafer thin, before, and so made a portion of her recipe and used a lid of a perfume bottle to cut the shape small enough.

I did not dock the wafers, so they did puff up and were somewhat hollow, but not too much.

Delicate, thin, crisp and melt in your mouth buttery, this idea was the perfect solution for the base of the Ciasteczka Ule!

Most of the shortbread wafers did not have such an air pocket in them.

Polish Marzipan Beehive: Origin or Story of Polish Beehive Cookies

Too bad my gold leafing is partially rubbed off. I used gold leaf from a shaker and vodka to apply with a very small paint brush and magnifying glass. If I was doing 8, I would have done them all, but really didn’t think the time it took to do each one in gold added that amount of value to the appearance of each for this occasion.

But, what is the origin of the Ciasteczka Ule? I am consistently curious about this kind of thing. I cannot find out anything and believe me, I tried in both languages with trusty Google Translate. I could find only this:

the Ciasteczka Ule is a popular traditional confection that translates to “hive cookie” in Southern Poland
a traditional Czech Christmas Cookie or “Vceli Uly” is a non-bake cookie that uses the identical mold, but the bigger one, and the shell is sugar, butter and baby cookie or ‘Nilla Wafer cookie crumbs with cocoa bound together for the shell with the filling similar to the Polish varieties; the cookie base is usually a small biscuit or ‘Nilla Wafer.

Polish Marzipan Beehive: A Whole Lotta Love!

Being “Cyber Gramsy” is difficult. “Next Door Gramsy” would be so much better! (I can only imagine the look on my son-in-law’s face as he reads this!) I am forever grateful to Steve Jobs for my daily chats with little William. My songs, rants, antics and stories: anything it takes to hold his attention, keep him entertained, motivate interaction and share a little love with one another each day even though we are so far from one another. I wanted to be preparing whatever little goodies I could form here to take with me. Lauren wanted us to have the memory of preparing for his party together. She is certainly her mother’s daughter (one smart cookie!).

A lovely “working-together-in-the-kitchen-for-the-party” memory: the beehive cupcakes, above. Yet, the depth of gratification and pleasure that I have preparing food and favours for any party is almost beyond words. It is what I do. Immersed in the cooking, baking, cutting, painting and preparation processes, I imagine “this” for that person, and “this” for another. I work to develop something special for everyone and weave so many good intentions into each little morsel that once I am finished, I have had my party already.

Quiet, and private, and usually quite messy, but I have celebrated for days (or weeks or months) preparing for the event. The event is not so important to me. It is the preparing.

Thus, these little hives.

I had found Bakerella‘s Winnie the Pooh cake pops (above, left) and Lauren was thrilled and wanted to make them. I have never been motivated to try my hand at any of Bakerella’s gorgeous sweet treats as I could see the time each would take. However, we are talking my grandson, here. I was motivated, and all in. Yet, could not even imagine accomplishing the quality of work necessary without a month to practice. I didn’t practice, though. I left the experience for us to enjoy together, and am so happy we did. Even Vanja helped and what could have been tragedy became a little love fest among us as we worked to “do our best” in the time we had and let go of the perfectionist within each of us.

Yet, I was driven to do something. Anything. Something from here. I could feel the love escaping into the thin air from the tips of my fingers that needed to be harvested into a food or a favour for William’s party. So, the Ciasteczka Ule it would be.

Maybe they would become a tradition? Who doesn’t love marzipan, I asked myself? I had planned to dip them into a thin dark chocolate coat. The flavour and texture of the marzipan chocolate pralines I had in Belgium is etched into a wall of my brain and pulsates “need” every now and then. The memory doesn’t include taste anymore, just a longing for more.

Newfoundland 2015 – but the only photo that “almost goes”

Oh, I had such plans for these little Ciasteczka Ule! Into the egg cartons they went. I nestled 3 dozen of them in tissue padding inside of 3 egg cartons. Each handmade treasure encapsulating a month of intense Gramsy longing and loving. I could not wait to arrive with these and present them to my daughter and little William.

Oh, Gramsy has so much to learn, even now. Even when she is already so old and wise.

Proof of the old part, above, with William last August at my 60th! Arriving, I stored them in the fridge day one and the next morning, showed Lauren, chest all puffed out, biting the “Ta-Dah!” back into my throat. She glanced over and mumbled something like, “Oh, Thanks, mom. Can I take a look later? I’m kind of busy now?” Oh. Oh. Um. Yes. Yes. Of course. Not problem at all.

Two days later, chest no longer puffed out. Head bowed kind of sheepishly and needily as I asked, “Have you tried one of the beehives, yet?” She glanced over and mumbled something like, “Oh, Thanks, mom. Can I take a look later? I’m kind of busy now? Sorry, mom. I really meant to, but I just can’t right now. ” Oh. Oh. Um. Yes. Yes. Of course. Not problem-o!

Hmm? The morning of William’s birthday and the day before his party, I asked, likely a little defensively, “I would really appreciate it if you would make some time today to try one of these beehives, Lauren?” She glanced over and kind of smiled (a little sideways and not at all convincingly), “Oh, Right. I will. I promise. “

I didn’t mention it again.

Ok, I lied. During the party, I took one over to her and said, will you please try this for me? There was a group of people there, and she took it and smiled and said, “Oh, sure! Thanks mom, I meant to already!” And popped it in her mouth and kept on talking.

Yes, I waited to hear a comment. And waited. And then slowwww…lyyy…. walked… away. And, didn’t mention it again.

Of course, I mentioned it again! “Did you like it? What did you think?” I asked a short while later when I caught her on her own. “It was OK, mom. It’s really not my thing. They’re really good, mom. Just not for me.”

“What? It’s not your thing? It’s not your thing? It’s not your thing? What do you mean, it’s not your thing? Everyone likes marzipan!!!” I screamed at her inside of my head, but just smiled and said, “Awww, that’s too bad. I had such hopes making them. I thought you would love them.”

A lovely young lad, Tyler, was there, Lauren’s nephew (far right, talking to Vanja in the above photo). I coaxed him into trying one. “What’s in it?” I told him. He took a bite and looked at me as if I had just betrayed the entire nation. Then hid that look like the most masterful actor, but the pain in his eyes was apparent. “Spit it out, Tyler. Truly. I am so sorry. You will not hurt my feelings.”

“I’m so sorry. I am a fussy eater!” And I gave him a drink of punch to wash away the taste.

My little hives sat on the table all day. Only two others tried them, and both were as smitten as I was, however, no one else (of the 20 plus guests) even dared to “go there”. So, lesson learned, Gramsy!

But, no matter, really. It was a completely unexpected outcome as they are actually scrumptious (not only to my palate, but to many), yet I did laugh quite heartily at these perfect precious confections holding their place nobly on the table way after the party had ended. Still waiting to share the limitless love worked into each one. Vanja and I had another good belly laugh about it together, just now.

And that was really all that mattered. The making. The doing. The action. The work. The intent. I was fulfilled. Felt the love in that room and was so blessed to see William surrounded by so many who love him. This family may not like marzipan, but they are such a fun group of people and the most wonderful support any Gramsy could ask for her precious Prince William to grow and thrive within.

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