How to Bake Honeybee Cakes

Baking is a fun, creative activity that families and children can do together.  It will also help your children learn about measuring and following instructions!

In Spid the Spider Helps Bid Open a Bakery, you’ll learn that Bid’s been hard at work baking delicious honeybee cakes to sell in her bakery. So here she shares her recipe on how to bake honeybee cakes – sweet, golden cakes topped with a cloud of elderflower cream! The recipe is free to download.

🍯 Honeybee Cake Ingredients (Makes 12 cupcakes or buns)

For the cakes:

• 120g plain flour (wheat flour)
• 120g almond flour (ground almonds) (for those with a nut allergy, substitute plain flour)
• 1½ teaspoon (tsp) baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g light brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
• 120g runny honey (plus a bit more for drizzling)
• 3 large eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons (tbsp) milk

For the elderflower cream topping:

• 150ml double cream
• 150g mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tbsp elderflower cordial

🧁 How to bake Bid’s Honeybee Cakes:

1.Preheat the oven
170°C (fan) / 180°C / 350°F. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.

2.Mix dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together the plain flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt.

3.Cream the butter
In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and honey until pale and fluffy. Don’t overdo otherwise the mixture will curdle!

4.Add eggs
Beat in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition.

5.Add flavour
Stir in the lemon zest and milk

6.Combine mixtures
Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.

7.Spoon into cases
Divide the batter evenly – each case should be about ⅔ full.

8.Bake
Bake for 18–22 minutes until golden and springy. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

🌼 Make the Elderflower Cream Clouds:

1.Whip cream
Whip the double cream until it just starts to hold its shape.

2.Add the rest
Add mascarpone, icing sugar, and elderflower cordial. Whip gently until smooth and creamy (but not too stiff!).

3.Top the cakes
Once cool, spread or pipe the cream on top of each cake.

🍽️ Serving Idea – Make a Bee Wing!

Carefully cut a shallow circle/cone out of the domed top of each cake and slice it in half.

Gently press the two halves into the elderflower cream at an angle – like wings popping out of a fluffy honeybee!

Add a chocolate chips for eyes and a drizzle of honey or honeycomb for extra buzz.

This is a perfect recipe for little hands to help with measuring, mixing, topping, and decorating!

Bid’s Bake Off Bests

Share a photograph of your cakes with us and we’ll add the best ones to Bid’s Bake Off Bests. Or post them on social media with the hashtag  #spidthespider.

Now have a go at baking Bid’s Bug-shaped biscuits!