Honey Lemon Beehive Cake Recipes

HONEY-GLAZED BEEHIVE CAKE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE:.
• Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350°F Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of a beehive mold with butter, making sure to cover all areas. Dust mold with flour, tap out excess, and freeze until ready to use.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and a pinch of cloves. Cream butter and brown sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce the speed; drizzle in the honey. Beat on high until very pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Transfer the batter to a large bowl.
• Whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture in to cake batter, then fold the remaining egg whites.
• Divide batter between molds, and place them on baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Cover with foil and bake 15-20 minutes more, a tester inserted in the middle should come out clean. Transfer molds to a wire rack and let cakes cool in pans for 15-20 minutes.
• Turn cake out, supporting them with your hand, and place flat sides on rack. Let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Carefully trim the flat side of the cake halves with a serrated knife so each is level. Align the halves to make sure they are flush, then separate.
• MAKE THE HONEY GLAZE:
• Bring honey, brown sugar and butter to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla and remove from heat. Let cool for 1 minute.
• Brush a coat of glaze on the flat side of each cake half. Gently press halves together, and let set upright for 5 minutes. If they don't stay together, place a small bowl over top to hold the two sides together while the glaze sets. Carefully transfer beehive to a rack set over parchment. Spoon remaining warm honey glaze over cake until cake is completely covered. Let stand until set.
• MAKE THE SUGAR GLAZE:.
• Bring water to a boil. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar, and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat; let cool for 3 minutes. Spoon some glaze over cake. If too runny, add more sugar until glaze is the consistency of the thick honey. Pour half of the glaze over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Let set for 5 minutes, then spoon remaining glaze on top. Arrange marzipan bees on cake, pressing gently to adhere to glaze. Serve immediately.
• MARZIPAN BEES:.
• Add yellow gel paste to one portion of the marzipan and black gel to the other. Knead to incorporate.
• Roll each portion into 1/8 diameter rope. Cut each rope crosswise into 1/8 inch slices.
• Stack 5 slices together horizontally, flat sides facing, alternating colors, starting and ending with yellow. Press together gently. For the head, roll a yellow slice into a ball, and press onto body. For the eyes, roll 2 bits of black marzipan into balls; press balls onto head. For the stinger, shape the tail piece into a slight point. For the wings, press a sliced almond into each side of the bee. Repeat.
• Use Immediately.

LEMON BEEHIVE CAKE

Steps:

• Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
• Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F Grease and flour a beehive cake pan; tap out excess flour.
• To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and beat for 30 seconds.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the honey, lemon juice and salt and bring just to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Tap the cake pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours, before assembling and decorating.
• To make the buttercream, in a small bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt and continue beating until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• To make the royal icing, in a small bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and the 2 teaspoons milk until smooth. If necessary, add more milk 1/2 teaspoons at a time until the icing is thick but still pourable.
• Stand one half of the cooled cake vertically on its base. Using a serrated knife, level the flat side of the cake by trimming off 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the edge. Repeat with the other cake half.
• Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of buttercream, about 1/2 cup, on the cut side of one of the cake halves. Place the cut side of the other cake half against the frosted side and gently press to secure the two halves; using the spatula, smooth the buttercream at the seam.
• Using a large spatula, carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Drizzle with the royal icing, making sure to cover the frosted seams of the beehive. Decorate with sugar honeybees.

HONEY-LEMON BEEHIVE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (8-inch) round pans and 1 ovenproof glass bowl (8 inches across top). In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat 2 cups butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in 4 cups powdered sugar until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well on low speed after each addition. Beat on low speed 1 minute. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice and zucchini. Spoon into pans.
• Bake round cake pans 38 to 42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake bowl cake 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans and bowl 10 minutes; remove from pans and bowls to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
• In large bowl, beat 2 cups butter on medium speed until creamy. Beat in 8 cups powdered sugar on low speed, 1 cup at a time, until creamy. Beat in honey and cream until creamy. Add yellow food color until desired shade.
• Place 1 cake layer, top side up, on cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting over top. Top with second layer, top side down. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting over the second layer. Top with bowl-shaped cake, round side up. Thinly frost side and top of cake with additional frosting to seal in crumbs. Fill decorating bag fitted with 5/8-inch tube tip with remaining frosting. Pipe frosting in stripes around cake.
• To make edible bees, in small microwavable bowl, melt candy melts on high for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds or until melted. Transfer to resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut a tiny corner off bag. Drizzle chewy chocolate candies with the melted yellow candy to make stripes. Tip chewy chocolate candies upright on one short end. Squeeze a small amount of yellow candy on the end of the chewy chocolate candy, and top with a yellow chocolate covered candy for the bee's head. Let set 3 to 4 minutes. With the remaining melted yellow candy, attach 2 almond slices on both sides of the chewy chocolate candies, making the wings. Repeat with remaining almonds. Garnish cake with edible bees.