Up until very recently my father has been a beekeeper. He had bee hives at our home in Vermont and then drove them, full of bees to Minnesota. Due to a city ordinance he was not allowed to keep bees in his Edina yard and had to set them up at a friend’s house farther out of the city. My dad would drive out on the weekends to tend to them. His love for bees was made more complicated by the fact that he is very allergic to their sting. He swells up like a balloon when stung, but this never deterred him, even though it seemed to happen with some regularity. As a result of his love for bees I have always had a fondness for them and the delicious nectar they produce. Growing up we ate the precious honey he collected on everything from homemade granola to freshly baked bread. In fact, I never knew any sweetener other than honey and maple syrup before I was about 6. Sugar, in any form, didn’t exist in our house.
This beehive cake is a tribute to both the elegance and ingenuity of honeybees, which are in terrifying danger of disappearing. Hopefully more folks like my dad will step up and continue the tradition. The shape of this cake is based on an ancient beehive called a skep, which was made of a coiled basket. My dad’s bees were kept in a box hive, but that isn’t nearly as romantic. Under the hovering marzipan bees are layers of banana cake, walnuts and honey scented buttercream.
How to Make a Beehive Cake
Find an updated version of this recipe from my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes, below.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan and an 8-inch metal mixing bowl. Line the cake pan with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
In a small saucepan cook the butter over low heat.
until the butter is caramel colored and smells toasty.
Strain the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, honey and vanilla until it is cooled off slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the banana puree and mix until incorporated.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter between the cake pan and the prepared bowl.
Bake the cakes for about 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. The cake in the bowl may take a few more minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely.
Make the buttercream: Click here for detailed directions. Add the honey, salt, and vanilla.
Divide the buttercream in half and add the walnuts to one batch and the yellow food coloring to the other.
Cut and fill the cakes: Slice each of the layer in half, then fill the layers with the walnut buttercream. Click here for a video on cutting and filling a cake.
Using a small amount of the yellow buttercream create a crumb coat to lock in the crumbs and smooth the surface of the cake. Click here for video on creating a crumb coat.
Put a nice thick layer of buttercream over the chilled crumb coat. Starting at the top of the beehive cake, use an Icing Spatula and create a spiral by slowly spinning the Revolving Cake Stand and moving the spatula downward.
To create the marzipan bees: Take a small piece of the marzipan and roll it between the palms of your hands until it is lozenge shaped. You can taper one end slightly to be the back of the bee. Paint the stripes on the marzipan with a clean paintbrush or toothpick and black food coloring. Allow it to dry until it is no longer tacky.
Once the stripes are dry, press the sliced almonds into the sides to create the bees wings.
Ingredients
Banana Cake Batter
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups (450g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups (480g) mashed very ripe bananas about 4 large
- 3/4 cup (175ml) mild-flavored oil such as vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
Marzipan Bees
- 1/4 cup (55g) marzipan
- Black gel food coloring
- Gold luster dust
- 1/4 cup (25g) raw sliced almonds
Crushed Praline
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup (60g) whole or chopped pecans
- pinch sea salt
Honey Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups (510g) honey
- 1 cup (240ml) egg whites (from about 6 eggs) at room temperature
- 3 cups (660g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup very strong espresso or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon espresso powder diluted in 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract Homemade Vanilla Recipe
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Yellow paste food coloring
Instructions
Banana Cream Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C. Generously grease a 9 by 13-inch (24 by 36cm) cake pan (or three 8-inch by 20cm cake pans), then line it with greased parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir together until just combined.
- In another bowl, using a whisk, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the batter, then fold in the walnuts (if using).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly using a small offset spatula. Gently tap the pan on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes (about 30 minutes for 8-inch rounds). Let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan, then invert it t onto a serving platter.
Marzipan Bees
- Take twelve small pieces of the marzipan and roll between your fingers, until they are a 1/2-inch (1.3cm) long narrow cylinder or capsule shape. Taper one end slightly to become the back of the bee.
- Using a food-safe paintbrush or a toothpick and black food coloring, paint stripes on the marzipan. Let the stripes dry. Then, using a small, clean paintbrush, paint. gold luster dust between the black stripes.
- Press the sliced almonds into the sides of the marzipan to create the bees’ wings. Put the finished bees on a toothpick and set them aside.
- In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulverize the praline until there are small bits about the size of pine nuts or smaller-but not as fine as powder.
- In two separate bowls, divide the buttercream in half and add the praline to one batch and stir a few drops of yellow food coloring into the other.
- Invert one of the cake rounds onto a serving plate.
- Using an offset spatula, spread half of the praline buttercream over the cake, making sure it goes all the way to the edge. Place the second cake round over the frosting and spread with the remaining praline buttercream. Top with the cake baked in the bowl (trim the bottom flat) as the final layer.
- If desired, at this point, you could crumb-coat the cake with some of the yellow buttercream.
- Put a thick layer of yellow buttercream over the cake. Using a small icing spatula, and starting at the top of the cake, create a spiral by slowly spinning the cake turner and moving the spatula downward.
- Place the bees’ toothpick into the cake to create the illusion of bees buzzing around. Serve the cake immediately.
Crushed Praline
- Line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup and let melt, without stirring.
- Allow the mixture to boil until the sugar just starts to turn amber along the edge. You can now stir without fear of crystalizing.
- When the caramel is evenly deep amber throughout and just starting to smoke, turn off the heat and stir in the pecans and salt. Immediately pour the nut mixture in a thin layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Let the mixture cool completely, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until the praline is pulverized and there are no pieces larger than a pine nut.
- Transfer the praline in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry spot for up to 3 days.
Honey Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the honey and egg whites.
- Put 1 inch (2.5cm) of water in the bottom of a double boiler or a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Place the bowl with the egg mixture over the simmering water and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until melted (140 degrees F / 60 degrees C) and thin.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until the egg foam is light, fluffy, and glossy and the bowl feels just about room temperature. (If the egg foam isn’t cooled sufficiently, the butter will melt when you add it.)
- Once the egg foam is whipped and cooled, turn the mixer speed to medium, add the butter, 2 Tbsp at a time, and beat until incorporated. Once you have finished adding the butter and it has mixed for about 1 minute, the buttercream will be creamy and glossy looking again. Turn the speed to low; add the espresso (if using), vanilla, and salt; and mix until well blended.
- Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Hi! I was wondering if these cake layers can be baked two days in advance and frosted the night before serving?
Also, can Zoe’s twinkies be made two days in advance (just the cake portion). Thank you for your help!
Zoe! I can’t wait to make this cake. On the show you used a peanut butter buttercream. I cannot find that anywhere. The chocolate butter cream that sys it will show you how to change it from chocolate/espresso to peanut butter does not show how to switch the recipe. Did I missed something?
Hi Lola, the cake from Zoë’s book (and in this post!) is slightly different than the one she makes on the show, so you can find the exact recipe from the show here. Enjoy!
Recipe instructs you to whip whipping cream, but whipping cream is not in the list of ingredients so I don’t know how much to use. Instructions also call for cinnamon, but it too is not in list of ingredients. I would really like to try this recipe, but I am not sure how it will turn out without knowing the proper amounts of the unlisted ingredients.
Hi Wanda! Apologies for the confusion and thank you for pointing this out. I have updated this post. The original cake recipe was updated to match Zoë’s cake cookbook and the reference to cinnamon was accidentally left in the blog post. I also added the 1 cup heavy whipping cream called for in the cake. We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Just adorable, the bee hive shape is too cute!
How creative. The end result looks pretty much taller that the 2 cakes together 🙂
You are so clever Zoe, I just love following your blog and your classes (and books). Thanks for the strory about your dad! I can tell you admire and love him very much!
Thank you Debbi!
Cheers, Zoë
oops… i was babbling on and on so much that i forgot to ask how long the marzipan bees stay fresh and edible.
Hi. If they are stored well they can last for weeks. Wrap them very well and keep them in a zip lock or other container where they won’t dry out or be in humidity.
Thanks, Zoë
since moving to my forever home in the pacific northwest, i have been going nuts over the many varieties of local honey. as my furry four-legged boy and i put in our 60k+ driving miles to soak in the blessings of this paradise, i couldn’t help but notice the crazy number of beehive keepers bringing it like no one’s business. yesterday found me pinning a chocolate honey cake with marzipan bees due to having honey on the brain from a recent two-honey jar roadside stand purchase near mount rainier the week before. now throw in the delight of seeing this post in my email this morning… it is all just too weird lovely wonderful for words. fyi: biscuit batch #2 fills the air with wonderful smells as i type because batch #1 was adored and devoured yesterday for breakfast and evening snack time. it seems to be all about zoe around here. forever grateful for each of your shares 🙂
Great minds think alike! 🙂
I am so glad you are enjoying the biscuits. They’d be great with honey!
Cheers, Zoë
I’ve made this once before and I am about to make it again. its fantastic
Love the cake, I was wondering if you could tell me if the bees harden at all when sitting. Also if I’m making this up a day ahead should the bees be kept covered?
Hi Aubrei,
They do harden a bit, but that is desirable. Don’t cover them if it is just overnight.
Thanks, Zoë
Made this cake today as a trial run for my daughter’s bee themed birthday party. Used a Dolly Varden tin and baked for an hour. Worked really well. Tasted wonderful. Didn’t try the buttercream today as I wanted to know how you think the buttercream would work out if I was to pipe concentric circles up around the cake to give the hive look? I’ve never worked with Swiss buttercream before and wonder how it will hold up.
Hi TLee,
I think it will work just great!
Enjoy, Zoë
Can’t do bananas, what can I use in it’s place?
Hi Anna,
You can make the same shape cake with any other cake recipe. You don’t want to use something that is extremely delicate, but something like my devil’s food recipe would work well. http://zoebakes.com/2008/01/06/not-your-average-devils-food-cupcakes/
Cheers, Zoë
If you let one more question, how mach butter in grams I need for banana cake? Thank you Zoe!
This cake is too cute! We are using it for my baby shower in May. Thank you for your hard work on creating such a beauty!
Hi Brittany,
Congratulations to you and enjoy the cake! 🙂
Cheers, Zoë
Thank you for you helping me disinteretedly. In our family reverent attitude to beehive too. My sister keeps beehive. If you let one more question, how mach butter in grams I need for banana cake? Thank you Zoe! With mach reverenses Svetlana
thanks Zoe…if you don’t mind, could I extend my previous question to inquire about cupcake pans. In the past I placed 2 sheets of cupcakes side-by-side on the middle rack and they came out burnt on the bottom. I felt that maybe the problem was that there was no proper heat distribution around the pans because, with them side-by-side, they had formed a barrier so that the heat was trapped below. And yet, I hate having to bake my cupcakes one pan at a time! In this case, can I place the (cupcake) pans on top of each other? – that is, each pan gets their own rack? thanks again Zoe :=)
Hi Lisa,
You can bake on different shelves, but it is a good idea to rotate the pans during baking to make sure they bake evenly. This needs to be done very carefully.
Thanks, Zoë
Finally trying this cake out this week for my niece’s birthday. This question is something I have been wanting to ask a pro baker for ages: when baking two pans in the oven, what is the pan placement? side by side? one on bottom rack and other on top rack? thanks!!
Hi Lisa,
It will depend on the size of the pan, but if they will fit on one, then do it side by side on the middle rack. Enjoy the cake!
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you for your good recite. Please if you can inform me how Mach grams in one cup. My best regards!
Hi Svetlana,
It is about 130 grams per cup.
Thanks, Zoë
I am making this cake for a baby shower and did a trial run last weekend. The instructions are very helpful and the end result was wonderful, including the bees which I made out of fondant. I did have a little trouble baking the layer in the round metal bowl. It took a lot longer than the 8″ pan and was still a little under-cooked in the middle and a little overcooked around the edges. I will be making again this week and thought I would try baking the bowl layer at 325 for an hour and then start checking. Any suggestions?
Hi Mary Beth,
You can try lowering the heat, but also try baking it slightly lower in the oven.
Thanks! Zoë
Hello, what size pan would you recommend for a regular cake?
Thank you
Hi Genia,
You can use two deep 8-inch cake pans or two shallow 9-inch cake pans.
Thanks, Zoë
I love this! My husband and I are beekeepers so your story about your father and the truths you speak about the future of honeybees truly touch my heart! Thank you for sharing!!!! The cake looks adorable and delicious!!!
HI Zoe !
Ich love this cake and want to bake it for my little daughter´s honey bee birthday party.
I have one question to you… how many gramms are 1 cup of egg whites?
i live in austria and here we use gramm to do cakebaking…
best regards, melanie
Hi Melanie,
That should be about 225 grams.
Thanks! Zoë
I tried the cake and it smell so good making it, but was disappointed in the end result as it felt like eating a slice of banana bread with butter on it. Is there a way to use less butter but have that same smooth icing, or maybe a really good cream cheese icing? I thought the cake was great, icing was like eating honey butter.
Hi Cardust,
Did you let the buttercream come to room temperature before eating it? That is the best way to serve it, but it isn’t for everyone. Problem with cream cheese icing is that it doesn’t have the body to hold up to this, it will just slump down the cake. You could do a chocolate ganache or other icing that has a bit more structure.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi!
i made this on the weekend for my husband’s birthday (he wanted a banana cake) – but just as a tall round cake (31 is a little old for buzzy bees!). It was fantastic, rave reviews, cooked perfectly.
THANK YOU!!
Wonderful Jess,,
Thank you for trying it, so glad you both enjoyed it!
Cheers, Zoë
Made this for my daughter’s birthday this year, and shaped it into a butterfly. I got rants and raves for this cake! It seemed daunting at first, but is well worth the extra steps browning the butter and toasting the nuts. I’m making it again this weekend for my Grandmother’s birthday and am MORE than excited to have this delicious cake again!
Hi Bliss,
I am so thrilled that you tried the cake and everyone enjoyed it!
Cheers and happy baking! Zoë
Hi Zoe!
There are people with nut allergies in the family. I thought about just leaving the nuts out but I wanted to try a different filling. Can I use your Vanilla Pastry Cream or is that not stiff enough for cake filling?
Hi Barbara,
I use pastry cream in cakes all the time. Don’t use too much or it may ooze out the sides. Chocolate ganache would be lovely too.
Thanks, Zoë
Hey Zoe, I’m thinking about making this cake for a “Classic Pooh” Baby Shower. About how many servings would you say this cake is? How would you cut it for serving?
Hi Katie,
It depends slightly on how large the slices are, but for a shower you can probably get about 16-20 out of this. Cut the top of the dome and serve and then cut the bottom layer as a separate cake.
Thanks, Zoë
Love Love Love this cake!! I’ve been keeping bees for only 3 years, and my sister-in-law showed me this recipe! can’t wait to take it for raffle to our next Sowega Beekeepers club meeting!!THANKS–and yes, everyone should have honeybees!! ;0)
GREAT CAKE!
Hey Zoe,
Just wanted to ask if this is the same recipe for the cake that you use on your video tutorial “splitting and filling a cake”? The cake on the video has the most perfect crumb!
thanks in advance!
I’m not a baker at all…but I made this cake and it turned out perfectly ADORABLE!! Your instructional videos were so incredibly helpful!! I couldn’t have done it without them! My mom keeps bees as a hobby and tomorrow is her birthday. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees her cake. Thank you!!
Hi Nicole,
Fantastic! Thanks for trying the cake, hope you all enjoyed it.
Cheers, Zoë
love this cake and can’t wait to try it – just wondering what is the “wire” used to attach the bees to the cake? thanks so much!
Hi Lisa,
You can use a skewer or toothpick, but I used a wire that is used for making gum paste flowers, which you can get at a cake decorating store.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi, I just stumbled onto your blog via the cake (Pinterest maybe?). I have never made a layered cake before before this one. My pans and bowl were a little wider so my cake was squatter but it still turned out pretty well. I couldn’t find marzipan in my town so I improvised by making a playdough recipe with sugar instead of salt (what can I say, I have a 19 mth old). This seems to be a fine subsitution to make the little bees. I also had to be flexible with adapting from another buttercream when my egg white wouldn’t whip because I got a little yolk in them 🙁 Now I know for future meringues!
Bringing this to a Winnie the Pooh themed baby shower. Thanks for the great recipe and for making it look so easy. Never would have tried it otherwise:)
Hi Natalie,
Thank you so much for trying the cake, I’m thrilled! Great to know about that Playdough!!!
Have fun at the party! Zoë
Hi Zoe! I LOVE this cake! It is so sweet! We’d love to use it as an inspiration image at our Cupcake Inspirations Card Challenge (www.cupcakeinspirations.blogspot.com)!
Zoe… Your cake is just beautiful!!! I LOVE bees, so this caught my eye rather quickly, I do have a bee hive mold pan that I recently got as a gift. I wonder how you would go about holding the two halves together??
Hi Joy,
Can you send me a link of what the mold looks like, so I can help you figure this out.
Thanks, Zoë
If I wanted to make the cake in regular pan would I use 2 8in. round or 9. Can’t wait to try. cake looks yummy!
Hi Ann,
Are your pans 2″ or 3″ tall? If they are 3″ tall you can do it in the 8-inch round pans and this will make the cake taller. If you use a 9-inch round cake pan the cake will be wider, but shorter.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi, I am planning on making this lovely-looking cake tomorrow for a friend’s birthday. My problem is that I don’t keep buttermilk in the house normally, and will be leaving town next week for Thanksgiving—so I don’t want to buy buttermilk in case it goes bad while I’m gone. Is there a decent substitute you can suggest?
Thank you so much! My friend will love this cake!
Hi Sharyna,
You can substitute an equal amount of milk, plus a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Thanks and enjoy! Zoë
regarding the crumb coat picture, the cake looks squat compared to the cake in the following image. Before the cake was frosted was another layer added to make the cake taller and narrower at the top?
I am a bee keeper and look forward to making this cake. Tx!
Hi Rob,
I first made the cake using regular round cake layers, which meant I had to carve the cake to the shape I wanted. Then it occurred to me that it would be easier to do it in a bowl and eliminate the carving. The shape is very similar, but as you noticed it is a slightly wider cake. You can either add another cake layer, as you suggested, or trim the sides with a serrated knife to get the angle you desire. If you have the right shaped bowl, this will not be an issue at all.
Thanks! Zoë
Hi! Any ideas on how to make the bees nut free? I know I can figure out the cake/frosting part, but my lil guy is allergic to nuts…his first birthday theme is bees and I really love this cake idea… Thanks!
Hi Becca,
You can make the same bees using rolled fondant, which has no nuts at all.
Enjoy and happy birthday to your little guy! Zoë
What a beautiful cake! I just made it today and am serving it this evening. What is the best way to cut a cake like this?
Hey,
this is the cutest cake. My mom is a bee keeper and she is flying in to visit me this thursday. I have to make her this cake. Do you know where marzipan and black food coloring can be found locally? I mean is it a regular grocery stores? I live in Baton Rouge.
Hi Courtney,
I’m not sure where you might find it locally, but here we have marzipan in the baking section of the grocery store. The black food coloring you may have to find online!
Thanks and enjoy your mom’s visit! Zoë
Zoe, I stumbled upon your site via “foodgawker”. First of all i love the ingredients in this cake and icing but it was the tribute to bees that caught my attention. I began keeping bees in March this year and have acquired 6 hives. It is the most awe-inspiring hobby. I, like your Dad absolutely “love” my bees. I name all of my queens, Miracle, Heidi, Rita, etc…. and all have a reason for their name. Silly to some but personal to me. I think I’ll just make the cake in regular pans and enjoy your lovely creation! Glad I found your site – you are a busy woman! Hope you’ll visit my blog for some interesting bee stories, photos and such!
Hi Linda,
Thank you for visiting the site and sharing your story! I LOVE that you name your queens.
Cheers, Zoë
Cute cake. I love the light yellow color. I have watched a few shows about how the bees are disappearing. I really hope they figure something out, because I don’t think people realize how important bees are.
I adore this. Adding to the list of ideas for my daughter’s third birthday (in 355 days lol)
Zoe- this cake is absolutely breathtaking. And I must say, I am in love with your book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” I make the Master Recipe at least 3 times a week!
Thank you Laurel,
So glad you are enjoying the book!
Cheers, Zoë
Love this post about the story about your father. And this cake is beautiful! What a fun way to bring awareness to the bees, and you make it look so easy too! I might have to try this one out for my birthday next month!
I LOVE this post! I can completely relate to the lack of any other sweetener as we have hives too and I think im probably bordering on addicted to the honey they produce 🙂 I have it in tea, porridge, on toast, and just eat it by the spoonful. ANYWAY, this recipe just looks totally wonderful and the perfect way to show off honey in all its loveliness 🙂
I love trying new cakes and this one looks so good. You make it look so easy to make. I will have to try this one.
The inspiration and loveliness of this cake has me swooning. I love brown butter in anything, but I’d bet the honey really sets it off! Inspired!
beauteous!
Zoe – I adore your blog but (as the Queen Bee of the Beehive Blog) this beehive cake is simply AMAZING! 🙂 Happy week!
Looks like a cake for Winnie the Pooh:-) How adorable.
That. Is. ADORABLE!!
Divine…..thank you!
My god, that’s gorgeous. I want to dive right in.
You are right. This is a must see! I remember when I was a little girl, I used to capture bees for fun. Luckily never been stung. Then I would let them go.
This is wonderful! I think any joyful way to get kids to care about the welfare of bees these days is a great idea, and this cake is totally irresistible.
Those adorable little marzipan bees are the perfect decoration for your fantastic cake. What a beautiful presentation.
Just beautiful! But I must say, the story of your father and his beehives makes this cake even more gorgeous 🙂 Cheers! ~Tricia
We are beginning bee keepers. What a journey and learning experience it is! My children help (we have little bee suites for them) and I think they deserve this awesome cake for all of the hard work they do helping! We are going to make it next week.
wow, wow, wow. loss for words!!
What an incredibly *sweet* looking cake! A friend of mine recently got interested in bee keeping. I’ll have to send her a link to your post as I’m sure she’ll love to make this as well.
wow, those bees look cool. Its a shame to eat it, it looks so nice 😉
Zoe this is just adorable. Gosh your talent is awesome and so is your dad!
Stunning! loved your Marzipan bees..I had tried your chocolate spider on my cake & my kids were super duper happy..:)can I bake the cake in a dolly varden cake tin instead of 2 tin?
Hi Asha,
Yes, a dolly varden cake tin would be perfect for this!
Enjoy, Zoë
This post absolutely made my day. It’s such a beautiful cake and a lovely celebration of bees. Thank-you.
Beautiful and so prettily decorated! Wow.
Cheers,
Rosa
yum, yum and more yum!!! and by the way it looks fantastic!!! must try. thanks
That’s just excellent, Zoë. Thank you.
So adorable! I love the colour…
This cake is awesome (and it’s not just because of the little bees!). I am always looking for a good banana cake recipe. Can’t wait to try yours! P.S. I’m glad you went with the traditional look of the bee-hive. This cake just wouldn’t have been the same if it had been a box-hive shape 😉
This is gorgeous. You’ve outdone yourself again. Also, I love that your dad had bees but can’t imagine the ride from VT to Minnesota.
Hi El,
It was a crazy journey, but he was a man in love! 😉
Be well, Zoë
Adorable! In culinary school we made a similar beehive cake, but we covered it in torched meringue instead of buttercream — yours is much cleaner. And brown butter banana cake? YUM.
Hey Molly,
Great to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers, Zoë
Ooh this cake is soo cute and sounds so yum! My grandfather used to keep bees too 🙂 I have early memories of sucking the honey out of bee combs.
Thanks everyone,
So glad you like the cake and I hope you will consider keeping bees! 🙂
Enjoy, Zoë
So creative! I love this!
Gorgeous and darling all at one time! So much fun and can’t miss with brown butter.
What a fun and oh-so-lovely cake! I can only imagine what that cake and frosting combo tastes like…
The cutest thing I have seen in a LONG time… really want to try it!!!
Hi Zoe! This cake is just beautiful. Seems we have some friends in common, and are both MN natives! Maybe will see you at a blogging event. 🙂
Blessings-
Amanda
I love this. I was actually going to do a test batch of a honey buttercream for a pistachio sponge. I love, LOVE the little bee’s, and the structure for the hive is great! Not a surprise from you or the blog, but i am always blown away and inspired.
I love, love, love this cake! Almost as much as your story about your dad.
I’m a total wimp when it comes to getting anywhere near a bee, but I’d love to get as close as possible to this adorable cake! 🙂
So cute, and very tempting !
its bee-you-ti-full 😀 happy baking zoe !
Marzipan bees! What could be better?
Hello,
I see we brown butter for this recipe (in the description) (yum), but butter is not in the recipe break down.
I’m hoping to make this cake today, Help! I tried clicking the button to see the recipe from your show but it doesn’t work for us Canadians.
That is a great catch, Christina! Apologies from the confusion. We updated this recipe when Zoe came out with her book, Zoe Bakes Cakes, but we forgot to update the title! It’s been updated to avoid future confusion. Thank you for letting us know!
This cake is so much fun! Wow. I love it…and the bee story about your father. It seems we all have such strong connections to food through our childhood experiences.
Absolutely stunning! And you make it look so easy.
A must- try for me. Though I may skip the bees to speed things up. The flavor combination is spot on!