S W E E T , A U T U M N A L F A R E
I'm a fiend for just about any sweet and salty combination, and today's roundabout take on salted caramel is a new winner in our abode - F loves them!
I've been opting to bake cupcakes recently, as they're quicker to make, and something about their handheld convenience means they're also a lot quicker to eat ;) Today's post is a little play I had with this recipe I found on Pinterest and the finished morsels are so tasty - a sweet richness of honey, a little dash of salt, the tang of yoghurt and the childhood glee of crunchy honeycomb.
Read on for the recipe and I do hope you enjoy!
I've not made honey cake before, which is my only error, as it's completely delicious. We're attemting a bit of a 'spring clean' albeit in October at the mo and when I feel like all the exertion is 'getting too much', I retreat to the kitchen for a little experimental baking. I've been having a bit of a honeycomb resurgence moment and thought what might happen if, instead of using conventional sugar, I made honeycomb with honey? We've got some gorgeous local honey from Henley so it seemed like the perfect fit. But instead of the crystalline shards we ordinarily might be used to, it gives a smooth, glossy frothiness - incidentally making it far better for incorporating into a cake batter, perfect!
Well, without further ado and more waffling (waffles are nevertheless to feature in an upcoming post ;), here's the recipe:
I N G R E D I E N T S
140g honey
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g salted butter
80g light soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
225g self raising flour
3 tbsps milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Honeycomb:
100g caster sugar
4 tbsps golden syrup
1 1/2 tsps bicarbonate of soda
M E T H O D
one. // Preheat an oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a baking dish with greaseproof for the honeycomb garnish, and prep a muffin tin with 6 cases.
two. // For the honeycomb, mix together the caster sugar and golden syrup in a cold pan. Place onto a medium heat and leave to melt then bubble for around 3 minutes - don't stir at this point. Once bubbling, remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the bicarb - the mixture will whoosh up into a big bubbly froth of pale gold. Pour out immediately into the greaseproof-lined dish and leave to cool.
three. // Onto the cake, warm the honey in a pan over a medium heat until bubbling. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 tsp bicarb - this won't grow in volume nearly as much as the sugar mixture above, but more froth gently. Leave to cool slightly in the pan while you get on with the rest of the cake.
four. // Sift the flour and salt into one bowl, and whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla into another.
five. // Then in a mixer (or using electric beaters), cream together the butter and sugar until light, soft fluffy and voluminous. With the mixer running, pour the amber honey mixture down the side of the bowl to incorporate.
six. // Add a little of both the flour mix and egg/milk mix until fully incorporated - I like to do in around 3 parts, by hand with a wooden spoon so I don't overmix.
seven. // Gloop into the lined cupcake tin and bake in the centre of an oven for 25-28 minutes, or until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
eight. // Retrieve your cooled honeycomb and bash with the handle of a weighty utensil into glinting shards. Top the cakes with a dollop of creamy (full fat) yoghurt, a delicious drizzle of honey, some of the honeycomb pieces and a few flakes of salt.
nine. // Tuck in with abandon.
These little handfuls keep for around 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge, just skip over the decoration until you're ready to eat.
Speaking of baking, are you all still watching GBBO? I have to say it feels no different whatsoever to any of the previous series.. Kate's toffee apple /medjool date cake looked so divine, I think I'm definitely going to indulge and give that one a go come birthday time! Or ideally, have it made for me ;) And thank you in advance for ignoring my chipped nails in the photographs.. I like to think I portray 'real life' and my nails are most certainly not immaculately groomed at all times! I hope you're all having a lovely week so far, and so let me know if you give these honey seasalt cupcakes a try!
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