Bienenstich

Bienenstich

German for “Bee Sting Cake,” the Bienenstich is honey rich and topped with a savory/sweet blend of caramelized almonds.

Bienenstich
 
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups (360 grams) whole milk
  • ¾ cup (255 grams) plus ⅓ cup (113 grams) honey, divided
  • 3 tablespoons (24 grams) cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 large egg yolks (93 grams), divided
  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) cold unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (180 grams) warm whole milk (105°F/40°C to 110°F/43°C)
  • ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2¼ cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup (67 grams) plus ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 2¼ teaspoons (4.5 grams) instant yeast*
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups (226 grams) sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, ½ cup (170 grams) honey, cornstarch, and sea salt until smooth. Heat over medium heat until hot.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk 3 egg yolks (56 grams) until smooth. Pour hot milk mixture over egg yolks; whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and comes together. Whisk in cold butter and vanilla. Transfer to a medium glass bowl. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of custard. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
  3. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
  4. In a large glass bowl, whisk together warm milk, ⅓ cup (113 grams) honey, melted butter, and remaining 2 egg yolks (37 grams) until smooth. Whisk in flour, ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar, yeast, and salt until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven 350°F (180°C).
  6. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, cream, remaining ⅓ cup (67 grams) sugar, and remaining ¼ cup (85 grams) honey to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in almonds. Spoon almond mixture gently over batter.
  7. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and turn cake back over, almond side up. Let cool completely.
  8. Using a serrated knife, cut cake into 2 layers. Place bottom layer on a cake plate, and spread with custard. Place top layer over custard, almond side up.
Notes
*We used Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Instant Yeast.

 

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4 COMMENTS

    • Hi May, you can certainly bake the cake and make the custard a day ahead for the Bienenstich. However, we would recommend not assembling until right before you are going to serve. This keeps your cake from getting soggy. Simply store the custard in the refrigerator overnight until ready to use.

  1. I’m going to try this today! had 2 questions though, do the egg yolks for batter need to be at room temp? also for whisking all the ingredients together, can i do that by hand rather than electric mixer. thanks!

    • Hi Hiba,

      Yes, we would recommend allowing your egg yolks for the batter to come to room temperature. We would strongly recommend using a stand mixer for this cake, as well as most of our other recipes unless otherwise specified. It really helps your ingredients come together to the perfect consistency without overworking the batter. Let us know if you have any more questions!

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