10 Jul Honeycomb Cereal Pound Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream
At this point it’s no secret that I love baking with breakfast cereal. (See here & here.) Partly deeply-rooted nostalgia from years spent munching away in front of Saturday morning cartoons, partly unbreakable addiction to the irresistible combination of ice cold milk and sugary crunch, my love for breakfast cereals is strong and undying. And while over the years that love has evolved from favorite breakfast, snack and dinner option to how can I use this to elevate a cake? there is a certain longing that I feel to consume cereal, in some form or another (and especially in cake form), on a regular basis. As in, daily. (Damn you, grown up metabolism.)
Based on this borderline obsession, it likely comes as no surprise to you that when Honeycomb cereal (hello, 3rd grade me!) reached out to ask if I’d develop a recipe as part of the iconic cereal’s 50th birthday celebration, my answer was a resounding hell yes! I knew immediately that I wanted to use ground Honeycomb cereal as I would a hearty flour, by incorporating it into the batter of a cake. And while layer cakes are my typical celebratory go-to, this time I wanted to create a cake that was a little more down to Earth and approachable, notably for those of you who maybe don’t have the time (or patience) for sky-high layers. The goal: to create a humble yet unique cake with simple flavors that allow the earthy, sweet notes of both the honey and the Honeycombs to shine through.
The result is this Honeycomb Pound Cake, where ground Honeycombs serve not only as a flour substitute, lending a hearty rustic crumb, but also as a foundation for the flavor of the pound cake which is centered around the star ingredient, you got it, honey. I chose to top off my pound cake with a sweet and salty, honey-spiked buttercream, which I would highly recommend trying — seriously, I think you’ll see this one making more appearances in the future — but this pound cake is versatile enough that you could even just top it off with a little strawberry jam or even a scoop of ice cream for a simple yet unexpected treat.
A very Happy 50th Birthday to Honeycomb, and a big thank you for sponsoring this post! Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend, friends!
NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
Be careful not to over-bake! Pound cake can go from moist and beautiful to dry and brick-like very quickly. Remove the cake from the oven to cool as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup finely ground Honeycomb Cereal, about 3 cups whole cereal
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the light brown sugar, granulated sugar and honey for about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, Honeycomb crumbs, baking powder and salt.
- In your liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla and whisk until the eggs are well incorporated.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in the dry and liquid ingredients in alternating batches, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, and stopping the mixer when the last of the ingredients is just combined. It's okay to stop the mixer a little early and finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula in order to avoid over-mixing.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over-bake! Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
- In the bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in the honey and salt and mix again until well combined.
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Taste the mixture and add the additional half cup if preferred, again mixing on low to incorporate. Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat the frosting for 2 minutes or until fluffy.
- Frost the top of the cake with buttercream and garnish with Honeycomb cereal pieces.
recipe adapted from Food & Wine
grace
Posted at 08:30h, 10 Julyreally excellent idea and execution! i’m a cereal lover from way back. 🙂
KWahlman
Posted at 11:55h, 10 JulyThanks, Grace!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Posted at 08:49h, 10 JulyThis is such a cool idea!! I absolutely love the flavour!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar recently posted…Portobello Burgers with Basil Goat Cheese
KWahlman
Posted at 11:55h, 10 JulyThanks, Katrina!! I can’t resist a good honey dessert. 🙂
Kirstin Moehlig
Posted at 09:40h, 10 JulyBeautiful Katie! And that frosting sounds amazing!
KWahlman
Posted at 11:56h, 10 JulyThanks, Kirstin! And the frosting was definitely my favorite part!
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
Posted at 12:40h, 10 JulyI’m with you on the love of cereal…it’s still a favorite, even with my more refined “adult” palate, I’m a kid at heart when it comes to sugary bowls of goodness! This cake looks perfect…I love the salted honey buttercream combo with the honeycomb flavor. Plus, it’s so beautiful, but that’s no surprise when it comes to your cakes! 🙂
Cindy
Posted at 14:47h, 10 JulyI don’t buy the cereals of my childhood anymore because a whole box will be decimated in days between my husband and I. It’s so dangerous! This cake is genius and I love those little rows of honeycombs on top.
Cindy recently posted…Cherry-Almond Buckle
KWahlman
Posted at 16:34h, 10 JulyI totally understand — Steve and I have been snacking on the GIANT bag Honeycomb leftovers like crazy! Definitely the danger zone!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake
Posted at 04:47h, 11 JulyWhat a creative cake flavor! I will have to try using cereal in a cake sometime since your cereal-infused cakes seem so fun and delicious–not to mention I’m a bit of a cereal fan myself 🙂
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake recently posted…Vegan crème brûlée doughnuts
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cynthia
Posted at 13:42h, 16 JulyI WIGGED when I saw this in a jet-lagged stupor earlier this week, Katie!!!!!! HONEYCOMB. IN CAKE. That is so, so darn fabulous and so amazing that you collaborated with Honeycomb to make this amazing cake. This is incredible. I want about ten of them.
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