Honey Beehive Cupcakes

Note: Make the bees first before making cupcakes.

Honey Beehive Cupcakes

Makes 2 Dozen

Special Supplies:

**Cupcake Liners, we used Wilton White

**Muffin/cupcake tins

**1 Piping Bag and 1 round piping tip, Wilton 2A

*Wilton Gold Sprinkles

Optional: Yellow Food Coloring, for frosting

*Honey Graham Cracker Bees, see recipe below

*Preheat oven 325*F.

Cupcake Ingredients:

*1 cup Cake Flour, sift and then measure
*1\2 cup White Wheat Pastry Flour, sift and then measure
*2 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
*1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
*1 cup Butter, room temperature
*1 and 1/4 cups Sugar

*1/4 cup Honey
*4 Eggs, room temperature
*1 cup Butter Milk
*1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

*In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed the butter, sugar, honey and salt until light and fluffy. Then add one egg at a time, beating between each one until all are incorporated.

*In a mixing bowl sift together the cake flour, wheat pastry flour and baking powder. Then gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, on medium low speed and alternating with the milk, in thirds, just until combined.

*Line cupcake tins with liners and scoop the batter until 2/3rds full into each cup.

*Bake in an 325*F. oven for 25-30 minutes or using a toothpick inserted to the middle of the cupcake comes out clean or spring back when touched.

*Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on cooling racks until completely cool and pipe or frost as pictured or as desired.

Honey Frosting

*1 cup Cream Cheese (8 ounces), softened

*1 and 1/2 cups Butter, almost room temperature

*6 cups powdered sugar, add more as needed until slightly stiff to hold shape when piped

*6 tablespoons Honey

*1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

*1 to 2 drops Yellow Food Coloring, optional

*Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment beat the butter and cream cheese 2 to 3 minutes until a light yellow color on medium speed. Add food coloring.

Note: Start with a drop of coloring and add more until desired colors are achieved.

Then gradually add powdered sugar alternate with honey, mixing in on medium low speed.

Add vanilla and salt, taste and adjust as needed to your taste. Beat frosting another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and stir by hand for a minutes to remove air bubbles.

Place frosting in piping bag (I place piping bag with tip into a tall glass and fold back top of bag over the top of glass and fill with frosting.) Pipe starting on the edge of the cupcake pipe around the edge making that your biggest circle, keep piping making each layer smaller than the last until you get to the top. Smooth the top tip of frosting with wet finger if needed or just pipe in a beehive shape.

Then sprinkle frosting beehives with Gold Sprinkles and Honey Graham Cracker Bees.

Honey Graham Cracker Bees

*1/2 cup Peanut Butter, refrigerate for 10 minutes

*3/4 cup Crushed Graham Crackers, pulse in small food processed if desired

*2 Tablespoons Honey

*4 tablespoons Quick Oats, blended semi-fine

**Chocolate Melting Wafers, melt according to directions on package

*Piping bottle with small round tip or piping bag with round tip for bee stripes and eyes or use mini chocolate Chips for the eyes

*Sliced Almonds, Bee Wings

*Slivered Almonds broken in half, for the Stinger

Mix together in a bowl the peanut butter, Graham crackers, honey and oats. When combined refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

After refrigeration make 1 to 2 teaspoon sized portions and form into bee shapes place bee shapes on a quarter baking sheet with baking mat or parchment paper. Refrigerate again for 20 minutes.

Remove bee shapes from fridge make 2 small slits in the center of the bee shape. Dip the pointed end of a sliced almond in melted chocolate and add where you made the slits. Repeat for all bees. Then pipe on 3 stripes melted chocolate and two dots for the eyes or press in mini chocolate Chips for the eyes. Add Slivered Almond Stinger. See pictures.

Note: If bees start to get to soft while decorating refrigerate again.

Add to gold sprinkled beehive cupcakes.

After decorating refrigerate until ready to serve.