Recipe and thumbnail image from Taste of Home
National Honey Bee Awareness Day is August 21, and what better way to acknowledge the little pollinators that gift us our food than with a cake that highlights their product?
Honey is actually a byproduct of a honey bee’s pollinating duties. It’s a sugary secretion from a bee’s consumption of the nectar of flowering plants. When the nectar is consumed and stored within a bee’s extra stomach called a “crop,” enzymes within the crop take action and begin to break down the nectar sugars. This function occurs so that it can be stored long-term within the hive during the winter months.
And while this may not sound quite as appetizing as honey is, it’s all part of nature—and intended to be enjoyed! So, celebrate the complex magic that is honey and honey bees with this traditional cake.
Honey Cake
Serves 12
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup honey (preferably local or wildflower)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Assorted fresh fruit and additional honey
- Chopped nuts of your choosing, optional
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and honey until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture. Transfer batter to prepared skillet.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Serve with fruit, additional honey and, if desired, chopped pistachios.
