German Bee Sting Cake
Bee Sting Cake - Crunchy, honey-flavored almond topping, creamy filling, and two delicious yeast cake layers make this traditional German dessert absolutely wunderbar!
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (also sold as Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeast)
- 3/4 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 tbsp butter at room temperature
Honey-Almond-Crunch Topping
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
* I Option Filling (Pudding Cream Filling)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 3.4 oz vanilla pudding mix
* II Option Filling (Pastry Cream Filling)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl mix all of the cake ingredients together. Knead dough a few times (3-6 times) until it looks and feels smooth. Cover with a plastic wrap or towel and let it rise for 30 minutes (it doesn't rise all that much).
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or cooking spray. Stir the batter a few times to deflate it slightly, and press into the pan. Prick the dough several times with a fork, and cover again with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt butter, honey, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add cream and then mix until sugar is dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sliced almonds. Set aside.
- Once the cake has finished its second rise, pour the almond topping onto the dough and spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes (at 350F). The topping will be golden brown when done. Let the cake cool for a few minutes.
- * Pudding Filling Variation : Add the pudding powder to the heavy cream and beat to stiff peaks.
- * Pastry Cream Filling Variation : Combine sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler. Separately heat milk to scalding, slowly pour over egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly and quickly with a whisk.
- Place over hot water, cook stirring constantly until smooth and thick. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Cover with a plastic wrap over the top and chill.
- When you can comfortably touch the topping, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake in two layers. Cut the top layer into 9 pieces (or 12 if you want very small pieces). It’s MUCH easier to cut the top layer when it’s still a bit warm.
- Spread filling on bottom cake layer. Place top cake layer on the cream filling piece by piece. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or until the filling is set.
- When you're ready to serve the cake, be careful not to not press down too hard on the top layer when cutting the bottom layer because the filling will spill out. Enjoy!
Notes
* If you want to lighten the pastry cream. Beat remain egg whites, adding the salt, until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the yolk mixture.