Have you ever heard of a Bee Sting Cake?
According to Wikipedia: “this traditional Bavarian dessert may have earned its name from its honey topping: according to one legend, a bee was attracted to it, and the baker who invented the cake was stung. Another source cites a legend of German bakers from the 15th century who lobbed beehives at raiders from a neighboring village, successfully repelling them, and celebrated later by baking a version of this cake named after their efforts.”
Hence the name Bienenstich, which translates to Bee Sting.
But whatever you decide to call this cake, I can promise you, your friends and family will be calling it delicious and asking for seconds!
The cake isn’t quite like any American cake you may have had. It has more of a pastry texture, filled with pastry cream and topped with honey glazed almonds.
Pastry cream might sound daunting, but it really isn’t difficult to make.
What ingredients do I need to make a Bee Sting Cake?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Bee Sting Cake. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
How do I make a Bee Sting Cake?
The first step is making the pastry cream for the cake.
In a saucepan bring the milk just to boiling (just until milk starts to foam up.) Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture (tempering), whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Then pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly.
When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). Stir in vanilla bean extract, or extract) Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.
Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Whisk or stir before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.
Next is the pastry dough for the cake.
The brioche dough isn’t too complicated to make and is what makes the Bee Sting Cake so special.
If you have a stand mixer, it’s really easy to do, but you can mix this, by hand, because the dough isn’t as thick as bread dough.
Warm the whole milk and honey to 110 degrees F. (any hotter will kill the yeast). Add the active dry yeast to the mixture and wait 10 minutes. The mixture will become foamy and is ready to make the dough.
To the yeast mixture, add 2 room temperature eggs, sugar, salt, the mixture of all-purpose flour and bread flour combing until just blended. Then add 1 stick(4 ounces) of softened butter, until just blended. The dough will be very soft.
Place the dough into a buttered bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to double in volume (it should take about 2 hours). Gently press the dough down, and knead a few times (with floured hands). Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 12 hours.
**If the dough appears too wet add 2-3 tablespoons of bread flour to the mixture. Some of the issues seem to be with the metric equivalents.
When the dough is ready place the dough into a 9” buttered springform pan. Shape into a ball, and gently, press the dough to fit the pan.
Cover and allow it to the dough to rise in a warm environment for about an hour. Start making the honey-almond topping
Preheat the oven to 350, when the dough has risen.
What Ingredients do I need for the Honey-Almond Topping?
For the topping you’ll need sliced almonds, butter, honey, sugar and a pinch of salt.
Combine the unsalted butter, sugar, honey and salt in a small pan.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, on the stovetop, then remove from the heat. Add the sliced almonds and pour the mixture over the dough.
Place the pan on a parchment-covered baking sheet (the honey mixture will seep through the bottom) and bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Place the finished cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes remove from the cake from the pan.
The aroma of the cake is intoxicating and there is a beautiful sticky caramelization on top and all around the cake. You’ll be tempted to cut into the cake but it’s important to let the cake cool, completely.
After the cake has fully cooled, carefully slice the cake in half, with a serrated knife. Spread the pastry cream on top of the bottom half, covering it with the top half of the cake. Now it’s ready to serve.
Like most European cakes, the Bee Sting Cake is not very sweet. The pastry texture of the cake goes well with the mildly sweet pastry cream. But the honey almond topping is what takes this cake to the next level. The butter in the topping gives a delicate richness that perfectly finishes this Bavarian classic.
*Make sure to use a sharp knife to slice the cake.
Kitchen tools I use for my cakes
- 9-inch springform pan
- offset spatula (essential for bakers)
- 9-inch parchment cake circles
- silicone spatulas
- wire whisk
- mixing bowls
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Bee Sting Cake
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 1¼ cups milk whole or 2%
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon liqueur (Grand Marnier Brandy, Kirsch or Amaretto) (optional)
Brioche dough:
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread flour divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
Honey-Almond Topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Pastry Cream:
- In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. (Don’t let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the milk to a light boil(just until milk starts to foam up.)
- Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)
- Pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick.
- Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). Stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool to room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Whisk or stir before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.
Brioche dough:
- In a small saucepan (or a small cup if you want to use the microwave), combine milk and 1 tablespoon honey and heat until it registers between 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over yeast. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes until yeast is creamy/foamy.
- Transfer bowl to mixer stand and attach paddle (or hook) attachment. While mixing at low speed, gradually add eggs, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt, and mix until blended.
- Gradually add all but 2 tablespoons of bread flour. Mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should not stick to sides of bowl; if it does, add some of all of the remaining 2 tablespoons of bread flour until dough cleans sides of the bowl.
- Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing at medium speed until it is blended into the dough. (Dough will be very soft.) Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand a few times to ensure that butter is completely incorporated into the dough. Shape dough into a ball and transfer it to a medium buttered bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume.**If the dough appears too wet add 2-3 tablespoons of bread flour to the mixture. Some of the issues seem to be with the metric equivalents.
- Punch dough down to deflate it, and knead it a few times. Return dough to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 12 hours). The dough should have doubled in volume. If it hasn't, let it stand at room temperature until it has. (NOTE: I made the dough the night before.)
- Butter bottom and sides of a 9” spring-form pan. Shape dough into a ball and arrange it, smooth side up, in center of the pan. Flatten ball gently with your palm until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it is puffed, about 1 hour.
Honey-Almond Topping:
- Combine the butter, sugar, honey, and salt, and bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the almonds. Evenly pour over the dough and place the pan on a parchment (or foil) covered baking sheet.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F for about 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
- Place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool four 10 minutes. Remove from the Springform Pan and allow it to cool completely.
Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half. I place the cake on a rotating cake stand and being by rotating the cake and creating a cut line midway through the cake. Continue rotating, allowing the knife to cut deeper until the cake is completely sliced in half.
- Spread the pastry cream, leaving a narrow edge. Gently replace the top layer of the cake. Serve with coffee or tea.
Gareth
Out of interest, should the surface of the dough be solid enough that it fully supports the weight of topping when you pour it on? Or is it expected that some of the topping, including the almonds, will inevitably sink through the surface of the dough?
Chef Dennis Littley
the dough should definitely be solid enough to support the topping, if it sinks through the dough is too loose.
Lennie
Hi,
I just made this recipe gluten free for my daughter (waiting to prove) so here’s hoping it works. I only had to adjust the flour a little bit.
Chef Dennis Littley
Let me know how it turns out
Joy Dowe
I have been wanting to make one of these beauties for years but was intimidated. My husband is Bavarian born so I finally made this for him for Father’s Day. So happy that I did! Thank you Chef Dennis, much easier than I thought it would be.
Iluka
It was my partners Opa’s 80th Birthday and I asked the family what his favourite desserts were. I am a party chef so always up for a challenge. This was one of them, and so I was searching for a recipe that didn’t use custard powder and not like 10 egg yolks (what would I do with that many whites??!)
I made the dough the night before and left it in the fridge for maybe 16 hours as I had to work the next day.
It took much too long to rise back up after placing in the tin, the house was cold, so I put the oven on very low to Prove the dough faster, which worked.
While putting the cake together, I added a layer of homemade apricot jam under the custard.
Everyone loved it, and I had two slices!! Makes about 12 reasonable servings (that’s how many I could cut without custard going everywhere).
Christine
Can I just use all unbleached flour instead of bread flour?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’ve never used all, all-purpose flour, so I can’t really tell you what adjustments you’ll need to make. Bread flour has a higher protein count so the dough will react differently if you use just all-purpose.
Gareth Randall
Fantastic recipe, but the metric conversion for the quantity of sliced almonds is wrong. It says 177g, but if you use that much, the topping will be too heavy for the dough and will collapse all the way through to the base during baking. Ask me how I know!
The correct conversion would be 70g.
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for pointing that out Gareth.
Jane Levy
What happens if I let it stay in the refrigerator for less than 4 hours? It is already increased in size almost double after 1 hour.
Chef Dennis Littley
Sorry just seeing this. The dough needs to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Just let it be.
Gareth Randall
I think (but could be wrong) that the refrigeration period is just to slow the yeast to allow the dough to develop extra flavour without increasing in size too much.
I’ve now made the recipe with and without the 4 hours refrigeration, and I personally prefer the flavour of it without any chilling. I give it 2 hours for the first rise, knock it back, then let it double in volume again, then into the pan, then just wait until I’m happy with the rise (another 90min-2 hours), and then bake. But that’s purely my personal preference as to the level of yeasty flavour.
Bill R
I’ve followed the dough recipe exactly, using a stand mixer with a dough hook, but even after 20 minutes at medium speed the dough is still sticky. I don’t want to add any extra flour, so do I just let it go on mixing until the dough is coming away from the sides of the bowl? I obviously don’t want to over-work it.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m not sure where in the process things went wrong, but no if its not forming, that dough is more than likely not usable.
Andrew
Living in the heart of almond country I made this to rave reviews for a German-themed cookout. Plan on doing it again for my mother’s birthday in a few weeks. Absolutely delicious!
Erik
This turns out great. I’ve made it twice in less than three weeks.
Jeff Smith
After scouring the internet I finally found a recipe that didn’t have cake mix or pudding mix as an ingredient. I made this recipe last night to take to our Reformation celebration meal at the Lutheran church I attend today. It checked of all the boxes of flavor and texture. It was a hit! I will definitely be making this again! It’s a ***** rating from me!
Amy Roskelley
You make everything look so easy!! Even when I think it won’t be. This cake looks DELICIOUS!
Saabirah
Hi there!
Could I use instant yeast for this recipe, and how would the method differ? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes you can. You just don’t need to let it bloom in warm water. The benefit of baking with active-dry yeast is that by blooming it in water, you can guarantee that it’s still alive. If you add instant yeast to a mixture of flour and salt, there’s no way to know for sure if it’s still alive.
Sangita
What a delicious recipe! It sounds labor of love. I’m definitely going to try this cake.
Shery Sullivan
Today is the first day I ever heard of this cake. I hope to make it on St. Patrick’s Day. My husband should be happy. And my neighbors, I’ll share. Would it be ok for dessert or just a morning coffecake? Then I’ll definitely be making it in the fall for my daughter’s birthday. She was born in Munich, Germany in 1971. She will definitely appreciate this. I’m a novice baker, but love trying new recipes.
Debbie Clark
Hihi Dennis,
Baked this beauty this weekend gone. It tasted amazing! I’ll be baking it again for sure. Should be quicker and easier next time! A definite dinner or birthday party treat. Thanks!
Lindie Rawbone
Hi There
I want to make this cake today…
The typed recipe differs from the video.Do I put the dough in the refrigiator firts and then out to rise in a warm place?Or first in a warm place and then in the fridge?
Waiting for a speedy reply.
Chef Dennis Littley
follow the recipe as written. The video was done by my team and is to be used as a guide.