Honey Crunch Cake (Recipe Inspired by BEES IN JUNE)

This adorable 6-inch Honey Crunch Cake is the perfect way to close out the summer and ease into cozy fall flavors.

Why is Honey Crunch Cake the book-inspired recipe for Bees in June?

One of my favorite things about Bees in June is all the food talk. Main character Rennie whips up Southern staples at her local diner like fried chicken, pot roast, plenty of casseroles, and lots of cakes.

But the crowning glory of Rennie’s culinary skills is her honey layer cake.

Honey, along with the bees that make it, plays a huge part in Rennie’s life. It seemed only right that the book-inspired recipe for this wonderful women’s fiction novel pays tribute to such a unique dessert.

There are some guidelines in Bees in June for Rennie’s confection, but it was up to me to create my own cake and frosting.

My Honey Crunch Cake takes a few liberties with the version in the book:

• I added a homemade honeycomb candy crunch between the cake layers
• I used a cream cheese-based frosting
• I baked a smaller layer cake in 6” pans instead of a “full-size” cake

What I love about Honey Crunch Cake

I’m not a huge fan of honey desserts, but I’m making an exception for this Honey Crunch Cake. The gorgeous, robust flavor of honey sings out of every part: cake layer, frosting layer, and candy crunch layer. It tastes caramel-y and lightly floral and just a little bit sinful, in the best way possible.

The cake itself is super light and airy. It turns golden brown in the oven, but the inner crumb is moist and tender. Vanilla bean paste, along with the honey cream cheese frosting keep the sweetness of the honey in check.

Lastly, there’s the honeycomb candy crunch layer. I usually don’t add texture to cakes, but I felt I had to since Honey Crunch Cake is all about featuring honey.

Full disclosure: I originally made a honey buttercream frosting for this cake, but it was WAY too sugary.

The version in this recipe is made with a luscious honey cream cheese frosting that doesn’t use powdered sugar. The little bit of tart cream cheese does wonders for the entire cake.

You guys! I made candy for the first time!

I made Honeycomb Candy from scratch for this cake. It was shockingly easy. I adapted a recipe I found online, and it was done in about 10 minutes.

This candy is delicious on its own – use the leftovers for a tasty snack! – but adds a wonderful texture to the otherwise soft and fluffy layer cake. Sprinkle some pieces in between the frosted layers and on top as decoration.

What do you serve with Honey Crunch Cake?

In honor of Rennie’s Southern roots, serve a Southern-style meal before Honey Crunch Cake. Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches and Fried Green Tomato BLTs are great choices for lunch.

Meanwhile, Paprika Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Polenta and Smothered Chicken make for delicious dinners. Don’t forget a glass of lemonade or iced tea to wash it all down.

Some other great honey recipes are Rose Honey Cake, Bacon Honey Cornbread, Honey Challah Bread, and Lavender Honey Cookies.

Honey Crunch Cake

Honey Crunch Cake features a 6", 2-layer honey vanilla bean cake, honey cream cheese frosting, and a homemade honeycomb crunch layer. Celebrate all things honey with this rustic yet elegant cake.

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Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 8 generous servings

Ingredients

  

HONEY LAYER CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature

HONEYCOMB CANDY CRUNCH**

• 1/4 honey
• 1/2 + 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 TBSP baking soda
• pinch of salt

HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• pinch of salt

Instructions

 

HONEY CAKE PREP INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Spray two, 6-inch cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

HONEY CAKE BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

• Use a hand-mixer to cream together the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until completely combined.
• Beat in the vanilla bean paste and the honey until completely combined.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Alternately add the flour mixture and the Greek yogurt to the batter, beating well between each addition, until all ingredients are combined.
• Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake honey cake layers at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until a tooth pickinserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. (While cakes are baking, you can make the honeycomb candy. See below.)
• Remove the cake pans from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out from the pans and finish cooling on wire racks. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

HONEYCOMB CANDY CRUNCH PREP INSTRUCTIONS:

• Measure out the baking soda into a small bowl. Whisk to break up the clumps and set aside.
• Measure out the vanilla into a small bowl. Set aside.
• Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside near stovetop.
• Get out a silicone spatula and digital thermometer, and set aside near stovetop.

HONEYCOMB CANDY CRUNCH COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

• In a 2-3 QT pot, combine the honey, granulated sugar, and salt. Heat mixture over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly until the mixture turns liquid.
• Continue to cook honeycomb mixture, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until mixture becomes bubbly, turns a golden caramel color, and reaches 295F on your digital thermometer.
• Turn off the heat under the pot. Immediately add the vanilla extract and baking soda into the honey mixture. Stir mixture with the spatula until the baking soda is completely dissolved, 1-2 minutes.
• Immediately pour out the HOT! honeycomb mixture in a single layer into the prepared baking pan.
• Let honeycomb candy cool completely (20-30 minutes) before breaking it into pieces.
• Place ¼ of the honeycomb candy in a resealable plastic bag, close it, and smash the candy into bite-size pieces. Set aside for when you layer and frost your cake.
• Use the remaining honeycomb candy to decorate the top of the cake, to your taste. Store remaining pieces in an airtight container or bag so they stay crisp.

HONEY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS

• Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat all frosting ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Frosting will be thick but a little loose; it will firm up a bit once refrigerated.

HONEY CRUNCH CAKE DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS

• Cut the top off each cake so you have a flat, even surface.
• Turn one of the cakes upside-down on a cake stand. Spread about half of the honey cream cheese frosting over the cake, right to the edges.
• Sprinkle the bite-size pieces of honeycomb candy over the frosting.
• Keep the other cake layer rightside-up. Spread a thin layer of frosting onto the bottom and sandwich it on top of the honeycomb pieces sprinkled over the cake.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the Honey Crunch Cake. Decorate with remaining honeycomb pieces and serve.

Notes

**Honeycomb Candy Crunch is an adapted version of this recipe.

Keyword 6 inch layer cake, cream cheese frosting, honey cream cheese frosting, honey recipes, honeycomb candy