Honey Glazed Beehive Cake Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Take whatever you need out of the refrigerator so that all ingredients can come to room temperature, and while that's happening, melt the chocolate from the cake part of the ingredients list in a good-sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter and line a 9-inch springform tin.
• Beat together the sugar and soft butter until airy and creamy, and then add the honey.
• Add 1 of the eggs, beating it in with a tablespoon of the flour, and then the other egg with another tablespoon of flour. Fold in the melted chocolate, and then the rest of the flour and baking soda. Add the cocoa pushed through a tea strainer to ensure you have no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water. Mix everything well to make a smooth batter and pour into the prepared tin. Cook for up to 1 1/2 hours, though check the cake after 45 minutes and if it is getting too dark, cover the top lightly with aluminium foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.
• Let the cake cool completely in the tin on a rack.
• To make the glaze, bring the water and honey to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate, swirling it around to melt in the hot liquid. Leave it for a few minutes, then whisk together. Add the sugar through a sieve and whisk again until smooth.
• Choose your plate or stand, and cut out 4 strips of baking paper and form a square outline on the plate. This is so that when you sit the cake on and ice it, the icing will not run out all over the plate. Unclip the tin and set the thoroughly cooled cake on the prepared plate. Pour the glaze over the cold honey bee cake; it might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about that. The glaze stays tacky for ages (this is what gives it its lovely melting gooiness) so ice in time for the glaze to harden a little, say at least an hour before you want to serve it. Keep the pan of glaze, (don't wash it up), as you will need it to make the stripes on the bees.
• Divide the marzipan into 6 even pieces and shape them into fat, sausage-like bees' bodies, slightly tapered at the ends.
• Using a wooden skewer, paint stripes with the sticky honey glaze left in the pan from icing the cake. About 3 stripes look best, and then very carefully attach the flaked almonds at an angle to make the bees' wings, 2 on each one. They might snap as you dig them into the marzipan bodies, so have some spare. I'm afraid to admit, I also like to give them eyes by dipping the point of the skewer in the glaze and thence on the bees: they look more loveable with an expression, which is somehow what the eyes give them, but then this is where the Disney effect comes in. If a more imperial dignity is required, forgo the dotting of the eyes and present this as your Napoleonic Chocolate 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.

Steps:

• To make the cake: Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the flour.
• Add yeast and sugar to the well.
• Add milk, cooled melted butter, and egg, and let sit for 2 minutes to soften yeast, whisk yeast and liquid ingredients only to dissolve yeast.
• Gradually whisk or beat in flour until well is blended.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead in enough flour only until dough is no longer sticky.
• Continue kneading approximately 5 to 7 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Cover dough with a towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise until doubled.
• Punch dough down.
• Roll or pat dough into 9 inch, greased pan.
• Prick dough all over with a fork.
• Spread cooled honey almond praline over dough.
• Let cake rest and double in height approximately, 45 to 60 minutes.
• While cake is rising, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake until golden approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the cake is rising, make the honey almond praline: Melt the butter, add sugar and honey, cook until bubbly and ingredients are well blended.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds.
• Let this mixture cool.
• To make the custard filling: First, place the sugar and cornstarch in a small to medium pan.
• In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and milk together.
• Whisk them into the sugar and starch mixture in the pan.
• Cook this over low heat and gradually increase to a medium heat bringing the mixture to a slow boil.
• Whisk this bubbling mixture for 3 to 4 minutes and remove from heat.
• Soak the gelatin in a 1/4 cup of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Add gelatin mixture to hot custard and whisk.
• Set aside to cool in a clean bowl.
• Cover with plastic to prevent mixture from forming skin and refrigerate until cool.
• Whisk cooled custard until creamy.
• Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla to medium peaks.
• Fold whipped cream gradually into cooled, whipped custard.
• Refrigerate until ready to fill split cake layers.
• To assemble the cake: Cut cooled cake in half to make 2 layers.
• Drizzle 1/3 jar caramel over bottom layer.
• Top with the custard mixture.
• Place the top layer over the custard and refrigerate or freeze for several hours to firm up custard before cutting.