Honey and Banana Beehive Cake

My little baby turned one year old this month, and to celebrate we had a little shindig.  I found this Brown-Butter Banana Cake and Honey Buttercream recipe from Zoe Bakes.  It was a little bit more gourmet than usual, but it turned out amazing.  I did use 9" pans instead of 8", so that is why my beehive is a different shape (which I ended up liking better).  I also used part of the batter for the smash cake!

For the smash cake, I used the heart-shaped pan I used for my oldest daughter's Valentine's Day 1st birthday party.  All I did was turn the heart upside-down and decorate it like a honey bee.  I thought it turned out pretty cute.  I do have two small things to consider if you plan to use this recipe for a baby's birthday.  First: Grey frosting is not a great choice.  Second:  Buttercream frosting is greasy.  Allow me to demonstrate:

For the other party treats, I used honey-themed and favorite snacks.  I had some of the marzipan bees leftover from the cake, so I frosted sugar cookies with the leftover buttercream and stuck them on top.  I also tried some candy bar and marshmallow sugar cookies from Family Fun.  They didn't turn out as well as their photos.  I still don't know how they got the wings to look like that.  I guess I cut the marshmallows in half instead of just cutting the ends off?  It was down to the wire and I didn't have a lot of time, so I just left them looking a little weird.

All in all, we had a great time; and the cake tasted great.  It was a sort-of cross between regular cake and banana bread, and it was perfect for a perfect day!