Honey Cake
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| Photo: Eric Diesel |
A common concern for conservation homekeepers is whether
buying a jar of honey equates to harming bees. As long as it is pure honey,
harvested by qualified beekeepers such as those contracted to provide honey for
human consumption, buying and eating honey do not harm bees. Colony Collapse Disorder, which is at the root of the question, isn't about honey production;
it's about bee mortality. A healthy hive, not to mention the dozens of them
that professional beekeepers maintain, will produce the same overflow of honey
that drew humans to start collecting it to begin with. A responsible beekeeper will
not collect honey from a hive that doesn't have excess. Buying responsibly
sourced and harvested pure honey helps bees by helping beekeeping.
To save bees, turn to advocacy. Support such organizations
as Greenpeace or the Bumblebee Conservation Trust with resources of time, funds and learning and teaching. Stay
informed of the politics of buzzing, and hold elected officials responsible for
safeguarding not only the safety and health of bees and bee colonies but all of
the species we share the planet with. Vote officials with good conservation
records into office and then keep them accountable for that good record while
they are serving, and vote officials with bad conservation records out of
office -- and be sure that they, your community, and the media know that it was
negative impact on conservation that got them fired. If you find a hive in your
yard and you can't leave it there, don't call the exterminator -- call the
county extension office. They can deploy a beekeeper to safely remove the hive
and guide it, and its inhabitants, to a safe new address. Often that is a
community garden, where the benefit is to all concerned, not least of all the
bees.
In our urban home, honey is one of the
favorite flavors. Yes, we drizzle it on our toast, but one of our favorite
recipes to use -- and celebrate -- liquid gold is honey cake. Honey
cake is a sweet snack cake that's somewhere between a tea cake and a quick bread. It's akin to another bugged-out house favorite: Nana's Bug Cake. We
frost our honey cake with the same honeyed cream cheese we spread on date nut bread. And just as we remember, thank and advocate for the bees when we drizzle
our honey, we do the same for the palm trees that give us dates. For, like bees,
bats, dragonflies, and all living creatures, palm trees merit, need and deserve
our care and conservancy.
Honey Cake
When making a cake, especially one with a heavy batter such
as this, one key element is to avoid overmixing. Unless specifically directed by a recipe, the rule of practice is to add dry ingredients in three batches with
wet ingredients in two batches, beginning and ending with the dry. After the
third addition of dry ingredients, fold the cake batter just until it comes
together, and gently fold that into the cake pan/s.
For the cake
2 half-cup sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for pan
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup pure honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt
For the frosting
1 8-ounce bar cream cheese
¼ cup honey
Ground nutmeg
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter an 8 x 8 baking pan and lightly dust with flour. Shake to distribute the flour on all sides and the floor of the pan; shake excess out of the pan.
- Unwrap 2 sticks unsalted butter and place them into a large mixing bowl. Gently place the butter wrappers over the butter and set the bowl aside while the butter softens, approximately 20 minutes.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt together into a small bowl.
- Break the eggs into a small mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to break up the eggs until thick and golden, as if for an omelet. Add the vanilla extract to the eggs and whisk to incorporate.
- Once the butter is soft enough to work with, attach the beaters to an electric mixer. Set the mixer to medium-high and beat the butter until it is creamy and workable, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and honey to the butter, and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Working in alternate batches of three-dry and two-wet, use the mixer set on low to beat the flour mixture into the creamed butter and sugar mixture alternately with the egg-vanilla mixture. Start and end with the flour mixture.
- Once all of the ingredients are incorporated , use a silicon spatula to gently transfer the batter to the buttered and floured baking pan. Use the spatula to get all of the batter into the pan, and to smooth the top of the batter.
- Bake until set and golden, approximately 45 - 50 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Once cake is cooled, frost cake with honeyed cream cheese.
- Cut cake into squares and serve.
- While the cake is baking, unwrap the cream cheese and place it into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add a pinch of dried nutmeg to the bowl.
- Measure the honey into the bowl.
- Lightly cover the bowl. Allow the cream cheese to soften while the cake bakes.
- When ready to serve, use a wire whisk or stick blender fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the cream cheese and honey together.
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