Lemon Beehive Cake Recipes

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.

LEMON MERINGUE BEEHIVES

Steps:

• Pastry Bases: Mix the butter, flour, and salt until sandy in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, blend the yolk and creme fraiche. Add to the flour mixture and mix until barely combined. Form into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Lemon Curd: Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Whip the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the lemon zest and juice and place the bowl over the simmering water (without letting the bowl touch the water; pour some out if needed). Cook until thickened, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and freeze overnight or up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Prick all over with a fork then cut out 2-inch rounds. Transfer to the cookie sheet. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes and let cool. (The whole recipe can be made up to this point up to 3 days in advance.)
• Up to 6 hours before serving, assemble the dessert. Arrange the pastry rounds in a pan that will fit in your freezer (use two, if needed). Use a small ice cream scoop to place a ball or scoop of frozen lemon curd (it won't be frozen solid) onto each round. Place back in the freezer while you make the meringue.
• Meringue: Whip the egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Transfer to your pastry bag. Pipe meringue around the base of each pastry round, spiraling around and up the lemon curd ball and gradually enclosing the top to create a beehive. Fire up your kitchen torch and brown until lightly browned all over. Return to the freezer until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.

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.

BEST EVER LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Measure ingredients into bowls. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and pale. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until the batter returns to a uniform pale color before adding the next. Sift in flour gradually. Fold with a wooden spoon to be sure flour is combined. Add baking powder and lemon zest.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, being careful not to press it down.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Try not to open the oven door early to avoid collapsing the fluffy cake.
• Juice the zested lemon into a small bowl. Add the zest and juice of the second lemon. Stir in 7 tablespoons sugar until dissolved. Pour glaze over the warm cake and leave to cool in the pan; glaze will harden as the cake cools.

LEMON HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Cakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment, then coat parchment with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together honey, milk, and oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, and zest on high speed until thickened, about 3 minutes. With mixer on medium speed, slowly add honey mixture and beat to combine, 1 minute. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans and bake until tops spring back and edges start to pull away from sides of pan, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack 25 minutes; invert onto rack, top-sides up, and let cool completely.
• Curd: Combine eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over high and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and starting to bubble around edges, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cream cheese, one piece at a time.
• Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible (you should have about 2 cups); discard solids. Cover curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Assembly: Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. Place a cake bottom on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread 2 tablespoons honey over top. Spread 1/2 cup curd over top, stopping slightly short of edges, then place a cake top on curd, cut-side up. Spread with 2 tablespoons honey and another 1/2 cup curd.
• Repeat with second cake bottom, 2 more tablespoons honey, and 1/2 cup curd. Spread cut side of final cake layer with 2 tablespoons honey, then place on top of assembled cake, top-side up. Spread top with remaining 1/2 cup curd, swirling as desired. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours before serving, topped with honeycomb or a drizzle of honey.

LEMON CAKE FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour.
• Whisk flour, lemon zest, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, into creamed butter mixture on low speed, beating well after each addition before adding the next. Beat lemon juice into butter mixture. Beat flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, into butter mixture until batter is just combined. Divide batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake pulls away from sides of pan, 32 to 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of pan and invert cake onto a wire rack to cool.