Almond Honeycomb Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups room temperature butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 and 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
• 3 cups almond flour
• 3 tbsp. whiskey
• 1 orange
• 8 whole green cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 and 1/4 cups meadow honey
• Special equipment: honeycomb baking pan measuring 30.5 x 29 cm.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
   
   Generously grease a honeycomb-shaped baking pan with butter, covering all nooks and crannies. Lightly dust the pan with flour (it's best to sift the flour over the pan; shake off any excess).
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, salt, and 1 3/4 cups sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth (the butter should not be fluffy), about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition (the mixture will initially appear loose and flaky, but will eventually become smooth). Scrape the vanilla seeds into the bowl with the butter mixture; set the pod aside for another use.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in almond flour. Add wheat flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add whiskey and mix on low speed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan several times on the counter to ensure the batter reaches all corners.
5. Bake the cake until golden brown and the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack, in the pan, for 15 minutes. Then invert onto a plate, carefully remove the pan, and lightly brush off any excess flour from the surface.
6. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from half an orange into wide strips (about 6 strips).
7. In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the cardamom seeds in 3/4 cup water until most of the water has evaporated and the seeds are fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup honey and the orange zest. Let steep for 5 minutes.
8. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small glass measuring cup; discard the rest. The mixture should be very runny and slightly warm; warm it slightly if necessary. Slowly pour the mixture over the warm cake layer, allowing it to gradually absorb the honey. Let the cake cool, about 1 hour.
9. Just before serving, heat the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup honey to dissolve, then remove from heat and drizzle the syrup over the top of the cake, allowing it to flow into each honeycomb and slowly down the sides.