St. Ambrose Honey Cakes

History

For centuries St. Ambrose has been associated with honey, beekeepers, and candle-makers. For this reason, the customs surrounding this saint’s commemoration often have something to do with honey and beeswax. Some of the oldest recipes include spelt flour, honey, salt, milk, and egg all combined into a sweet one-layered cake that can be served with jam or, you guessed it, more honey.

St. Ambrose isn’t the only saint often associated with bees. St. Bartholomew is another saint we’ve covered on the blog whose traditional honey cake strongly resembles the honey-sweetened cake made for St. Ambrose. And St. John Chrysostom is remembered as the mellifluous preacher, suggesting that his speech was sweet like honey. His twelfth sermon is often quoted in which he praises the bee who “is more honored than other animals not because it labors, but because it labors for others.”

Perhaps it is because of the positive view of the bee in ancient times that Ambrose’s legend emerged: It is said that when Ambrose was an infant, his father found a swarm of bees over the babe. They left him entirely unharmed but left behind a single drop of honey on Ambrose’s tongue. This was a sign to Ambrosius, his father, that his son would grow up to be a powerful orator.

Honey Cupcakes

These mini cakes are a take on the more traditional cake found in Celebrating the Saints, but because that dish and our own recipe for St. Bartholomew (which would be equally appropriate for St. Ambrose) are similar in nature, we are offering a twist on the ancient honey cake.

The base uses the same kind of ingredients, notably the baking soda as the leavening agent, but the cake is topped with a honey buttercream – essentially a honey butter with added powdered sugar. So instead of slicing a large cake and adding a jam or honey, these cupcakes combine the two to give you both cake and a honey buttercream in every bite.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup milk

¼ cup honey

Frosting

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, milk, egg, and honey and ensure that the melted butter is warm but not hot enough to cook the egg.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into cupcake liners and place in a cupcake baking tray.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops are domed and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the butter on high speed until full and white. First add in the honey and beat again, then the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
6. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the honey buttercream and enjoy!