Bee sting cake, a classic german cake, made of sweet yeast dough with a caramelized almond layer on top and a vanilla pudding cream filling. Traditionally made as a sheet cake, it is also great for baking in a springform pan. That’ s what I did. So creamy and delish.
Tools & Equipment
Small saucepan
Whisk
small bowl
Stand mixer fitted with dough hook
Medium bowl
Medium saucepan
Plastic wrap
Springform, 26cm/10-inch
Sharp big knife
Wire rack
Recipe Tips for Making Bee Sting Cake
Room temperature: This recipe calls for room temperature ingredients. So remove the butter and eggs from the fridge about an hour before you start.
The Dough
Almond mix: as the mixture cools it gets thicker, try to spread it evenly on the cake to create a nice caramelized crust.
Almondtopping: check halfway through baking. If the top is getting to dark, simply cover with parchment paper
Topping & Filling
Filling: instead of heavy cream you can also use butter for the filling. Using heavy cream provides a lighter texture.
Baking & Cutting
Cutting: Once the cake has been cut in half lengthwise, take the upper crunchy almond layer and slice it into 12 similar pieces. As soon as the filling has been spread on the bottom of the cake, you can replace the single pieces on top. It will make it much easier to cut the cake later.
Freshness: The cake is best the day it is made Storage: in the fridge, well-wrapped you can keep it up to three days.
My Summary
Difficulty: medium. This cake contains several steps; preparation of dough, filling and topping. Taste: just the right amount of sweetness. Super tasty! Texture: the cake is fluffy with a creamy vanilla custard filling and a crispy, caramelized almond crust on top. PROS: much better than store-bought bee sting. CONS: time-consuming. Cannot be stored for long.
Start by preparing the yeast dough. Warm milk and butter over low heat until the butter has melted, but do not let it boil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead flour, dry yeast, sugar, egg and the milk mixture for a couple of minutes until the dough is elastic and loosens from the sides of the bowl. If it is still a little sticky, just add a little more flour.
Place the dough on a work surface and knead it well with your hands, shape into a ball and let it rise in a lightly greased bowl well covered in a warm place, for about 60-90 minutes.
Prepare the almond topping shortly before resting time ends. Heat butter, sugar, honey and heavy cream carefully until melted nicely. Bring to the boil, fold in the almonds and let it cool down (at least 10 minutes).
Line a springform pan (26cm) with parchment paper. Knead the dough one more time and roll out to about 26cm. Place it into the prepared springform pan and spread the almond mixture on top. Cover and let it prove for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
Bake the dough for 25 minutes on the lower rack. In case the top is browning to much, simply put some parchment paper on top. Insert a toothpick in the center, when it comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove it from the oven and release from the sides of the springform pan. Place the cake with parchment paper on a wire rack and let it chill.
For the Filling
In a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of milk, pudding powder and sugar together. In a small saucepan, bring the rest of the milk to a boil, quickly add the pudding powder mixture to the milk using a whisk and let it boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Transfer the pudding to a clean bowl, cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and allow to cool.
Assemble the Cake
Slice the cooled cake in half lengthwise. Divide the upper lid into 12 pieces, which will make it easier to cut the cake later.
Place the bottom of the cake on a plate or in a cake ring.
Stir the chilled pudding briefly, whip the heavy cream until stiff and fold it into the custard. Spread it evenly on the bottom of the cake and cover with the upper side pieces of cake.
