Honey Lemon Beehive Cake Recipes

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.

Steps:

• To make the honey almond praline: Melt the butter, add sugar and honey, cook until bubbly and ingredients marry. 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 boil. The mixture will bubble slowly. 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 keep mixture from crusting and refrigerate until cool.
• After mixture has cooled, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla to medium peaks. Fold whipped cream into cooled custard. Make sure to whisk custard to creamy stage before gradually folding in whipping cream. Refrigerate until ready to fill split cake layers.
• 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 rest approximately 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
• 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. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake until golden approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
• 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.
• This recipe can be doubled and made into a half sheet cake the size of a jellyroll pan, this is wonderful to serve for breakfast gatherings, this cake will not be too sweet. If baking in half sheet, use a piece of cardboard to lift off top half of cake, you can use a flattened paper plate on round cake layers.

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.