Honeycomb Pull Apart Cake

So well I was out and about Monday afternoon, I stopped in at William and Sonoma (LOVE that store); because lets face it- what better way to cheer myself up than a little retail therapy and on top of that, what is better than shopping than shopping with gift cards? I could buy the entire store if I had enough money to do so, but unfortunately I do not.  Well as I was browsing along, I stumbled across this...the cutest little cake pan ever. I just HAD to have it.

 

This is just the  cutest pan ever. RIGHT?

Anyways,  you can pretty much cook this recipe in any pan, it just tastes better in this adorable pan. :)

Here's the recipe ...

For the Cake:

4 eggs

2 Teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 Teaspoons almond extract

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoons salt

16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter(room temperature)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups milk

1/2 cups sliced almonds, toasted and finely ground (I didn't toast them, and I just crumbled them in my hand)

For the Honey Glaze:

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons water

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

*Grease and flour the pan.

* To make the cake, in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract until blended.

*In a separate bowls, sift together the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

* In the bowl of an electric mixer , beat the butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy creamy, about 3 minutes.

*Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

*Reduce  the speed to medium, add the egg mixture and beat until well combined, about 1 minute.

*Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and beating each addition until just incorporated. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Do not overmix. 

*Gently fold in the almonds.

* Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula.  Gently tap the pan on the countertop to release any air bubbles.

*Bake until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; 35-40 minutes. 

*Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

*Meanwhile, make the honey glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the water, bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

* Gently tap the cake pan on a countertop, invert the cake onto the rack and turn the cake right side up.

*Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of the cake with the warm glaze, including the areas between the pull apart sections

Enjoy those bumble bees and honeycombs :)