I’ve seen a couple of cute bee-themed bakeware pieces this year, but this Beehive Cupcake Pan from Williams Sonoma is one of my favorites. The pan bakes two different styles of cupcake: a plain (traditional) cupcake and a beehive-shaped cupcake. After baking, the two shapes are stacked together – perhaps sandwiched with a little bit of frosting or jam – to make a three-dimensional beehive cakelet that is just adorable.
The beehive-shaped cakes have a nice amount of detail to them, including small bees. The designs are clear enough that they’ll come through well in the finished cakes, especially if you grease and flour your pan. not only will flouring the pan ensure that the cakes come out cleanly – even though this pan has a nonstick finish – but it will help give the designs a little extra definition. The pan is made of cast aluminum and makes six individual cakes of each design, to make three finished cakelets for each batch of batter. The cavities are about the same size, so you don’t need to worry about your cakes or muffins baking unevenly. Use a recipe that has some honey in it, to tie the flavor of the cake into the design of the pan, or simply choose your favorite cupcake recipe.
What do you think?