Chocolate cupcake with bees

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

• 110 g semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 and 1/3 cups soft, light brown sugar
• 220 g softened butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cups premium wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup of boiling water
• Additional equipment: springform pan with a diameter of 23 cm.

Honey glaze:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 170 g finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Bees:

• 30 grams of yellow marzipan (almond glaze)
• 12 almond slices

Preparation:

1. Remove all ingredients from the refrigerator to allow them to warm to room temperature. While this is happening, melt the chocolate listed in the cake ingredients in a large bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler. Let cool slightly.
   
   Preheat oven to 180°C, grease and line a 23cm springform pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat sugar and softened butter until light and creamy, then add honey.
   
   Add 1 egg, whisking it with a tablespoon of flour, then another egg with another tablespoon of flour. Add the melted chocolate, then the remaining flour and baking soda.
   
   Add the cocoa powder, sifted through a tea strainer to avoid lumps, and finally stir in the boiling water. Mix thoroughly until a smooth batter is formed and pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for up to 1.5 hours, checking for doneness after 45 minutes. If the cake starts to burn, cover it with aluminum foil and continue checking every 15 minutes.
   
   Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.
   
   To make the glaze, bring the water and honey to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate, stirring in a circular motion until it melts into the hot liquid.
   
   Let the mixture sit for a few minutes, then whisk. Add the powdered sugar sifted through a sieve and whisk again until smooth.
4. Whiten a plate or trivet, cut 4 strips of parchment paper, and arrange them in a square on the plate. This will prevent the frosting from spreading all over the plate when you place the cake on it and begin to frost it. Open the pan and place the completely cooled cake on the prepared plate.
   
   Drizzle the icing over the cake, letting it drip down the edges, but don't worry about it. The icing will remain sticky (that's what gives the cake its pleasant stretch), so drizzle it on the cake just long enough for it to harden slightly, say at least an hour before serving. Set aside the icing pan (don't wash it), as you'll need it to create the stripes for the bees.
5. Divide the marzipan into 6 equal pieces and form them into thick sausages, slightly pointed at the ends, for the bees' bodies.
   
   Using a wooden skewer, draw stripes with the honey icing left over from frosting the cupcake. About three stripes look best. Then, carefully attach wings to the bees by inserting two almond slices at an angle, each with two. The slices may break when inserted into the marzipan bodies, so be sure to have extra.
   
   I'm afraid to admit, but I also love making eyes by dipping the tip of a skewer in icing and dripping it onto the bees. The eyes make them look cuter, but it's a bit of a Disney effect. If you're looking for something more refined and refined, skip the beady eyes and imagine your dessert as a Napoleonic chocolate cake.