Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)
A soft yeast cake with a crunchy caramelised almond topping, filled with vanilla custard cream.
Ingredients
- For the dough: 300g strong white bread flour
- For the dough: 7g fast-action dried yeast
- For the dough: 50g caster sugar
- For the dough: pinch of salt
- For the dough: 130ml lukewarm whole milk
- For the dough: 50g butter, melted
- For the dough: 1 egg
- For the topping: 100g butter
- For the topping: 75g caster sugar
- For the topping: 2 tbsp honey
- For the topping: 2 tbsp double cream
- For the topping: 150g flaked almonds
- For the filling: 500ml whole milk
- For the filling: 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
- For the filling: 80g caster sugar
- For the filling: 40g cornflour
- For the filling: 3 egg yolks
- For the filling: 250ml double cream, whipped
Method
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Mix the dough ingredients and knead for 8 minutes. Cover and rise for 1 hour until doubled, then press into a lined 24cm springform tin and leave for 30 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). For the topping, melt the butter, sugar, honey and cream in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the almonds and cool for 5 minutes.
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Spread the topping over the dough and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until deep golden. Cool completely, then slice the cake horizontally into two layers.
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Make the filling. Heat 400ml of the milk with the vanilla seeds. Whisk the remaining milk, sugar, cornflour and yolks, then whisk into the hot milk and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until very thick. Cover the surface with cling film and cool completely.
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Fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard.
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Spread the filling over the bottom layer, replace the almond-topped layer and chill for 2 hours. Cut into slices with a serrated knife.