Honey Cake with Honey Buttercream
★★★★★
Ingredients
- Cake:
- ½ cup (170g) honey
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) mild-flavored vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2⅔ cups (320g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Honey Buttercream:
- ¾ cup (255g) honey
- ½ cup (120ml) egg whites (about 3 eggs), room temperature
- 1½ cups (330g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- Gel food coloring (yellow, orange, black)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 8-inch cake pans and line with greased parchment paper.
- 2. Heat honey in medium pot over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat, add baking soda, stirring constantly until honey foams and turns caramel colored, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl to cool.
- 3. In stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- 4. On medium speed, add oil, sugar, and vanilla to butter. Beat 5 minutes until light and doubled in volume.
- 5. On medium-low speed, add eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Scrape bowl after each addition.
- 6. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In measuring cup, whisk together milk and sour cream.
- 7. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture in thirds, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape bowl and paddle after each addition.
- 8. Fold in cooled honey mixture.
- 9. Pour 150g (¾ cup) batter into each prepared pan. Spread evenly and tap to release air bubbles.
- 10. Bake 12-14 minutes until golden and set. Cool completely on wire racks. Repeat until all 9 layers are baked.
- 11. For whipped cream: In stand mixer with whisk, combine heavy cream, sour cream, honey, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until thick. Finish by hand to prevent overwhipping.
- 12. Assemble cake by layering with 75g (½ cup) whipped cream between each layer. Wrap and refrigerate.
- 13. For buttercream: Combine honey and egg whites in mixer bowl. Heat over double boiler until 140°F. Whisk in stand mixer until cool and fluffy. Add butter 2 tablespoons at a time until creamy. Add vanilla and salt.
- 14. Divide buttercream into 4 bowls. Color with gel food coloring (white, yellow, orange, black).
- 15. Cover cake top with white buttercream. Pipe shell border with star tip.
- 16. Using flower nail and specialized tips, pipe sunflower decorations with colored buttercream. Freeze 20 minutes before placing on cake.
This is an extremely advanced cake requiring specialized equipment including multiple cake pans, pastry bags, and professional piping tips. The cake features 9 thin layers with honey incorporated three ways: caramelized in the cake, in the whipped cream filling, and as the base for Swiss meringue buttercream. The sunflower decorations are piped using a flower nail technique. Can be made a day ahead - sunflowers can be frozen and buttercream can be refrigerated up to 7 days or frozen up to 1 month.
Wine Pairing: Dessert Wine