THIS CAKE IS ALL THE BUZZ

A Little bit about this honey beehive cake

This was a super fun cake to make. The honey beehive cake is also what started this blog. I had many people ask, “ How did you make that “? I realized that with just a few step-by-step instructions many others might be encouraged to make such bakes and decorates.

This cake has four layers of cake to make a big statement. I selected to make two layers chocolate and two layers “yellow” cake (white cake with the help of yellow food coloring). Did you notice that I placed a chocolate layer on the top and bottom and sandwiched both of the yellow layers in the center instead of alternating the flavors? Wonder why?? Really, for no reason.

One slice of cake yields 2 normal size slices of cake if cut again between the two like layers.

Steps for Constructing the Cake

• Start off with two nine inch chocolate cakes and two 9 inch white cakes ( add a little of yellow food coloring achieving a soft yellow color.
• Mix up your favor buttercream frosting ( I added 1/3 cup of honey to the buttercream to give the frosting a slight honey flavor)
• Place your first chocolate layer cake on the cake board
• Place about 1/2 cup buttercream frosting on top of the cake layer
• Use an off set spatula and smooth out frosting
• Place your first white cake layer on top
• Frost top of this layer and smooth out frosting
• Continue to add remaining cake layers and frost them with butter cream

CRUMB COATING- DIRTY COATING

Crumb coating, also know as dirty coating because it is not neat and smooth, is the first step to frosting the overall cake. Using an off set spatula, apply a thin coating of the frosting on the sides and the top.

Why Crumb Coat A Cake??

 Crumb coat the cake sets the crumbs on the cake surface assisting with having a smooth finish with the top coat of frosting.

Setting the Crumb Coat

Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes to set the crumb coat. The frosting is set when it becomes firm to the touch. Once the frosting is firm to the touch, remove the cake from the refrigerator and frost the cake as you would any other cake.

Now for the fun… Making the Honeycomb

First, measure the circumference and height of the cake.  Lay out a clean piece of bubble wrap a little longer (about 2 inches) than the circumference of your cake and a few ( 3-4) of inches higher than the height of the cake.

Melt white chocolate (I use Ghirardelli –one pound) in a microwave safe bowl at half power.  Melt the chocolate in small time intervals to ensure the chocolate does not burn. Add food coloring to achieve the color you like for your honeycomb. (I used a little bit of yellow, orange and dab of brown. For a golden look omit brown). 

Using an offset spatula spread the melted chocolate over the bubble wrap.

Applying the honeycomb to the cake

After about 15 minutes are so, check the chocolate. If it is no longer sticky to the touch, it is ready to apply the cake. Do not let the chocolate harden completely because it will not bend without breaking when applying it to the cake. 

Carefully, lift up the bubblewrap and place the chocolate side around the cake.  Where the edges overlap, fold back one side so the edge will meet perfectly when the excess is cut off.

Place painters tape around the cake for protection and to ensure that the bubble wrap remains in place while the chocolate hardens. Place the cake back into the refrigerator for about 15 -20 minutes.

Preparing the Cake Decorations for the Honey Beehive Cake

The Bees:

To make the bees, I used floral wire, fondant, and almond slices. 

• Color a small amount fondant brown and yellow.
• Roll a small piece of each color and press the fondant together alternating the color.
• Use a dab of water to help the fondant piece adhere.
• Add almond slices to the fondant bees for the wings
• Place the bees on floral wire. I used a paper towel roll to hold the bees while that dried out and became firm.
• Use an edible mark to draw eyes ( round circles) on the bees.

The Honey Drips for the Beehive Cake:

For the honey dripping out of the honey comb, a honey flavored candy was made

Steps for making the honey drip:

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
• In a saucepan combine ½ cup honey, ¼ c water, and 1Tablespoon vinegar.
• Stir consistently until the candy reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.  
• Using a spoon remove small amounts of the honey from the saucepan and drizzle what you would like the drip lines to look like. Some small puddles, some slender drip lines, etc..
• Allow the candy to cool down and harden on the baking sheet.

Putting it all together…Creating the Honey Beehive Cake :

• Take the cake from the refrigerator. 
• Remove the painters tape
• With a sharp knife, cut off the excess chocolate honeycomb that was folded back
• Pinch off small pieces carefully from the top edges of the honeycomb so it is jagged and uneven.
• Place pieces of honey candy around base of the cake,on the top of the cake, and on the honeycomb giving the dripping of honey appearance (melt some of the cut off chocolate pieces and use as glue for adhering the decorations)
• Remove some bees for the floral wire and glue them with melted chocolate on the honeycomb.
• Add bees on floral wire to the cake
• Using a silicone basing brush, brushed lightly Coco powder onto the honeycomb to give it depth and dimension.

WALA !!

I hope you enjoy making this Honey Beehive cake. To reduce the time it takes to construct this cake from the beginning, I would suggest making the cake in stages.  For example, make your cake layers and fondant bees one day and do all the additional steps (making the honey comb and candy the next day) 

Let me know how much you loved this cake in the comments.