Go back

Honeycomb Cupcakes

topcook.tomathouse.com

Ingredients:

    Almond bees

  • 170 g semi-sweet chocolate, melted
  • 18 whole almonds
  • 36 almond petals

    Honeycomb Sugar Cookies

  • 2.5 cups premium flour + extra for dusting
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 220 g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1.5 tsp natural vanilla paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract

    Decorative cookie frame

  • 450 g of yellow mastic (you won't need all of it)
  • 1 cup clear decorative sugar
  • 1 cup yellow decorative sugar

    Cupcakes

  • 24 vanilla mini cupcakes (see recipe below) in bright yellow paper cupcake liners
  • 2 cups honey Swiss buttercream (see recipe below)
  • 24 frangipane cupcakes (see recipe below) in bright yellow paper cupcake liners

    All-Purpose Vanilla Cupcakes

  • 1.5 cups premium flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 170 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cups of milk

    Swiss buttercream

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • A pinch of fine salt
  • Whites of 4 large eggs
  • 350 g unsalted butter, cut into 4 cm pieces, at room temperature
  • Flavorings (see below)
  • Special equipment: 5.5cm and 3cm hexagonal cookie cutters, mini spatula

Preparation:

  1. Almond bees: Fill a piping bag fitted with a very small round tip with melted chocolate.

    Pipe two eyes on the rounder end of each almond, then three horizontal stripes, starting from the middle of the almond to the narrower end. Attach two almond petals (like wings) to the top chocolate strip (the one closest to the eyes). Make 17 more almond bees in the same way. Let dry.
  2. Sugar cookies: Preheat oven to 165°C.

    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated. Gradually fold in the flour mixture and continue beating until the dough comes together, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
  4. Generously flour a clean work surface. Gently roll the chilled dough out to a thickness of just under 1/2 inch. Using a 2.25 inch hexagonal cookie cutter, cut out 24 shapes, working quickly to keep the dough chilled. If the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate it on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 30 minutes. Place the cut-out shapes on ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Lightly brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Refrigerate the shapes for at least 30 minutes. Any scraps of dough can be gathered, pressed into a disk, chilled, and re-rolled.
  5. Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. If you baked the cookies ahead of time, store them in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
  6. Decorative cookie frameTo give the cookies a honeycomb look, roll out yellow fondant and cut out 24 hexagon shapes using a 5.5cm hexagon cutter.

    Place a 3 cm hexagon cutter in the center of a hexagonal fondant figure and press. Remove the center. Frost the cookies with a thin layer of buttercream. Place the cut-out hexagonal frame on each cookie.
  7. Mix clear and yellow decorative sugar and sprinkle the mixture inside the frame. Turn the cookies over to shake off any excess sugar. Set the remaining sugar mixture aside for cupcakes.
  8. Assemble the cupcakes:

    Decorate vanilla mini cupcakes with a small amount of buttercream, using a piping bag fitted with a small star tip. Sprinkle with decorative sugar. Decorate 12 mini cupcakes with one almond bee. Set aside the remaining 6 bees for decorating cookie cupcakes.
  9. Cover standard frangipane cupcakes with a small amount of buttercream, spreading it with a spatula. Press the outer edges of the cupcakes into decorative sugar and place hexagon sugar cookies on top.
  10. Build honeycombs:

    Arrange 14 standard-sized cupcakes in a honeycomb pattern. Top with 7 more cupcakes, creating a second honeycomb tier. Place the remaining three cupcakes on top of these.
  11. Arrange 20 mini cupcakes (including 8 with almond bees) around the base of the honeycomb. Decorate the entire structure with the remaining 4 mini cupcakes with almond bees. Then arrange the remaining 6 bees on top of the structure.

  12. All-Purpose Vanilla Cupcakes


    Yield: 12 cupcakes (or about 48 mini cupcakes)

    Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack on the middle shelf. Line one standard 12-cup muffin tin or two mini 24-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, gradually pour in the butter, then add the vanilla extract.

    While stirring slowly, add half of the flour mixture. Then add all the milk and the remaining flour mixture. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Divide it evenly among the prepared molds.

    Bake until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 18-20 minutes (10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes). Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack, in the pan, for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely. Decorate with frosting.

  13. Swiss buttercream


    Yield: 2.5 cups

    Bring a few centimeters of water to a boil in a saucepan large enough to fit the mixing bowl.

    Place the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and egg whites in a bowl and whisk together. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk until warm to the touch and the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until the whites cool and hold stiff peaks, 10-15 minutes.

    Add the butter a couple of pieces at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, continue beating on medium speed. The mixture will collapse and look curdled. Continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Gradually add the flavorings, beating until smooth and light. If the buttercream begins to separate, refrigerate until it sets slightly but is still soft, then beat until light and smooth.
  14. Flavoring additives:

    Chocolate
    Transfer the buttercream to a large bowl and add 170g of melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate in three batches.

    Citrus
    Add the zest of half a lemon or orange.

    Liquor
    Add 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur and 1 tablespoon of vodka.

  15. Cupcakes with frangipane filling


    Yield: Filling for 12 cupcakes (3/4 cup)

    In a food processor, combine 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons each almond paste, sugar, cake flour, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and process until smooth. Transfer to a small baking dish and spread into an even layer. Freeze until the frangipane is set, about 1 hour. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the filling into 12 portions and roll into balls. Return to the freezer until completely set, about 30 minutes. Mix the vanilla cupcake batter (recipe above) and pipe 1 tablespoon into the bottom of each cupcake tin. Place 1 frangipane ball in the center of each cupcake tin and spread the remaining batter on top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

We recommend reading

Units of food weight