Beehive Cake
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure PolicyCreate a buzz with this adorable beehive cake! It’s as cute as it is delicious. A homemade honey bundt cake is topped with a honey frosting and candy bees, this dessert recipe is a sweet, tasty, and bee-utiful showpiece.
Are you looking for a dessert that is both playful and delicious? Look no further than this beehive cake recipe. Using a homemade bundt cake recipe and some easy decorating techniques, you can wow your friends and family with a cake that looks just like a beehive. Make this masterpiece of a cake for a birthday, brunch, or just for fun—it’s whimsical and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser in any setting.
You long time Inspired by Charm readers know how much I love whipping up a uniquely shaped cake. In fact, I have an entire blog post dedicated to all of my specialty cake recipes. It’s a must read!
Now, I know may look fancy, but it’s surprisingly easy to make. I’ll walk you through the step-by-step through the process of making and decorating this adorable cake.
Beehive Cake Pan
Confession: this cake was completely inspired by this adorable beehive bundt cake pan. I’m obsessed. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to make a cake in it.
I bet you didn’t think it could get cuter. It can! They have a mini beehive cake pan. Yes, mini individual beehive cakes! So sweet.
Of course, you don’t have to have this pan to make the cake, but it adds to the wow factor!
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of making this cake masterpiece, let’s talk about why you’re going to love it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This beautiful design is the definition of adorable. It is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face, but it’s not just cute – it’s also delicious.
- The bundt cake base is moist and flavorful, and the honey frosting adds the perfect touch of sweetness
- This cake has a simple batter made with whole ingredients, including honey.
- You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how simple this cake is to whip up even if you’re not an experienced baker. You can create the entire thing, including homemade icing in a little over an hour.
Read to bake?
To get started on your beehive cake, you’ll need to gather all of the necessary ingredients beforehand. Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients
There are two main parts to this delicious cake, the cake itself and the honey frosting. They pair together beautifully, and taste amazing, while also having fairly simple ingredient lists.
For the cake you will need:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- butter – you’ll need softened unsalted butter, so leave the stick out on your countertop for a few hours before you bake!
- brown sugar
- eggs
- honey
- sour cream – yes, sour cream! It may sound funny but I promise you it adds so much moistness to your baked goods!
- vanilla extract
For the honey frosting, you’ll need:
- cream cheese – get the full-fat, plain variety and let it sit out on your counter with the butter to soften too.
- unsalted butter – also softened.
- honey
- vanilla extract
- salt – just a pinch, but it makes a big difference!
- confectioner’s sugar
- sugar candy bees and mini honey dippers – okay, these are totally optional, but they are also totally adorable! They make your cake look extra fancified and all you have to do is add them on top of the icing.
How to Make
You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to whip up this cake! I’ll walk you through the steps here. I’ve also provided a full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 325. Grease your bundt cake pan and set it aside. Make sure you grease it very well – this is crucial to getting the cake out of the bundt later!
- Grab a large bowl, and whisk together your dry ingredients. Then, in a stand mixer bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter together with a paddle attachment. Mix in each egg, then mix in the honey and vanilla.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Once combined, add sour cream and mix again!
- Pour your batter into the bundt pan and bake until done, which is about 55-65 minutes depending in your oven and the shape of the pan you use.
- Remove from the oven and sit the cake pan over a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes before inverting and removing it from the pan.
- While your cake is baking and cooling, you can put together the honey frosting. Grab your stand mixer bowl once more (just make sure it’s clean!), and beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium until smooth.
- Next, add the honey, vanilla, and salt, and mix together with low speed until it’s combined. Finally, add in the confectioner’s sugar and beat until the frosting is fluffy.
- After the cake halves are baked and cooled, trim off the rounded part of each with a serrated knife to create a flat surface on each. Then, just stick them together with some of the honey frosting.
Once the beehive was formed, I added honey frosting to a piping bag and drizzled it over the top of the cake to make it look like honey was dripping out. A few sugar candy bees and mini honey dippers complete the look.
How cute is that?
This is why I love these cake pans so much. They make creating a unique and delicious cake so effortless.
Recipe Tips
Here is some insider info to help your cake turn out perfectly every single time!
Be sure to use a baking spray on your pan before adding your batter. If you are having a hard time getting the cake out of the bundt pan, give it a few firm taps. Still stuck? Lay down a dish towel and gently bang the pan on top of it. If your pan was properly greased, it should pop right out!
Icing too thick or runny? We can fix it! To make your icing thicker, add a bit of sugar. I’d recommend a spoon at a time until the texture is correct. If the icing is too thin, simply add a tiny splash of milk.
Variations
You can also experiment with different flavors of frosting, such as lemon or orange, to give your cake a unique twist. Or better yet, try my brown butter cream cheese frosting. I’m sure this combination would be delicious!
Another way to make your beehive cake stand out is by adding some fresh fruit as a filling or topping. I think blueberries and / or blackberries would add a delicious burst of flavor and a pop of color to the cake.
If you’re looking for a healthier option, you can substitute some of the ingredients in the recipe. For example, replace the all-purpose flour with 1-to-1 gluten-free option. Instead of using sugar, try using honey or maple syrup as a natural sweetener. You can also add nuts or seeds to the batter for some added protein and crunch.
Finally, if you’re feeling extra creative, try making mini beehive cakes instead of one large cake. This mini beehive cake pan would be PERFECT. This is a great option for parties or gatherings where guests can grab their own individual cake.
FREE Printable Beehive Recipe Cards
Bonus: I love this cake so much that I used it as inspiration to create these free printable recipe cards! Aren’t they the bee-utiful? They are totally free to download and you can print them at home on card stock paper.
Grab yours and enjoy. 🙂
More Unique Cakes You Will Love
- Bunny Rice Krispies Treat
- Funfetti Coffee Cake
- Gingerbread House Cake
- Chocolate Skull Cake
- Mini Tombstone Cakes
I hope you’ll try baking this adorable beehive cake. I know you’re going to love it. If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below.
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Beehive Cake
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups honey
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Honey Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- sugar candy bees optional
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Then mix in the eggs, one at a time. Finally, mix in the honey and vanilla.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally, add the sour cream and beat until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before inverting and removing from the pan to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, prepare the honey frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the honey, vanilla, and salt and mix on low until combined. Finally, add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- To assemble as a beehive, cut the rounded domes off both halves of the cake with a serrated knife. This will create a flat surface on each half. Spread a layer of frosting on each cut side and put the two halves together. Top the bundt cake with additional honey frosting and sugar candy bees.
I’m so excited to make this cake for. My sons first birthday party! Do you know if you can make the frosting ahead of time? Like the day before?
Hi — I LOVE your site!!! and I am gaga about this bundt pan/ cake recipe, & the recipe cards, I love ALL of it, Yay!!!
I just thought I would mention that you might want to include “Beehive Cake” in the tags, as maybe Beyonce followers would like to make this cake for auspicious Beyonce occasions!!! LOL,
also I would like to know more about the candy bees?? did you make them too? is there a recipe for those??
if you bought them, where did you find them?? thanks!!! congrats on your new house and I am sure by now you are well settled in
love,
Jennifer
If you read the main article, you’ll see he included the link to purchase the Candy Bees.
Michael, I feel your pain. We went through it to five years ago. We completed gutted and renewed the old farmhouse in June when we closed. My husband and his contractor buddies did most of the work, I was the clean up and girl Friday pretty much. 😉 On top of that, we had to have it ready for our son to start school in August. AAH! We made it though by the seat of our pants. With that said, we know what you’re going through. You do what you can to get settled and leave us a few crumbs when you can. 😉 We will be patient and wait for you. We all love your blog….great content. Take care of yourself.
Just adorable. My grand-babies love the honey bees. I will have to share this with their other grandma who is a beekeeper.
That is just the cutest cake ever. I have a huge cupcake shaped cake pan I think I can improvise with. We’ll see. 😇. Hope you’re settling nicely into your new place.
Yes, I know very well what it means to move home, where you have to plan everything in your own way. It takes a lot of time depending on our requirements from the home. As for the recipe, I really like it and I will write it in my kitchen notebook. Let me have more such sweets. Regards and I am waiting for much more than you on this blog!
I think moving is one of the top 3 big stresses in life, so take some time for yourself, we’ll still be here. I once bought a house, moved, planned our wedding and a month later planned a Halloween party….what was I thinking. I did it all in 2 months time. I had migraines during the move and buying the house. Then I thought if I took yoga while I was doing all this planning and scheduling that may help with the anxiety. But all I could think about in yoga class was did I forget something and my mind could not be still to reap the yoga benefits. Somehow it all came together but I didn’t take the time to enjoy the process of decorating and planning of our wedding. You will get there so go easy on yourself. I am enjoying your summer recipes like this cute honey cake.
Trying this one ASAP! Such a cutie. And PS. Congratulations on your wonderful new home!
This. Is. Adorable! I’m so happy that you took a little moving break to share this with us 🙂 And I love the bee & honeycomb themed recipe cards!
This would be the cutest cake for someone to bake for their Honey! Everything you present shows tremendous thought and remarkable attention to detail. Thank you for the constant inspiration!
Wishing you a wonderful life in your new home!
That cake looks amazing! How you managed to do that amidst all the craziness of your move-Bravo! I’ve been avoiding carbs for the moment, but may have to break down and try this. And the recipe cards!? I was so hoping you would continue making new ones- super excited!! Even though recipes can be easily printed these days, nothing beats a handwritten recipe handed down for the recipe box- and your designs are my favorite (plus you give so much room to actually write the whole recipe!)
My husband & I are both big honey lovers. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
And FYI… I think it would be ok if you took a social media break. We’d understand.
YUMMMM. This looks absolutely delicious!! And such a fun design. I will definitely need to try this one out!