German Bee Sting Cake

and another unusual honeylicious delight you have never heard of

German Bee Sting cake. I had never heard of it. But when I crossed simply the name, it intrigued me because I am a honey lover. So I found out that…..

German Bee Sting cake is filled with a fluffy vanilla pastry cream and topped with honey glazed crunchy almonds. It takes a bit of time and effort to make but is so worth it. What is unusual about it is that the cake ingredients and texture are more bread-like, almost like a soft sweet brioche, which for me makes it an excellent weekend breakfast or brunch sweet. In Germany it is typically served in the afternoon with tea or coffee.

There are two layers of cake which are filled in the middle with a vanilla pastry cream. Some people fold in a bit of whipped cream before filling the cake. I sprinkled fresh raspberries on top of the pastry cream before topping it with the second layer of cake. Another variation I have seen is adding flaked coconut to the almond topping.

So here is the recipe! Leave a comment below if you make it!!!

Recipe:

German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich Kuchen)

adapted from a recipe from askchefdennis.com

You will need a 9” springform pan.

Ingredients for the pastry cream:

1 1/4 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 scraped vanilla bean)

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 large egg yolks, room temperature

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/ 1/2 tablespoons liqueur (Grand Mariner, rum, honey liqueur)

First you make the pastry cream. Heat the milk in a saucepan just until it starts to foam up. Immediately pull the saucepan off the heat and and slowly pour into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly for 60 seconds until the mixture thickens as thick as pudding would look. Take off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and liqueur. Pour into a bowl, allow to cool to room temperature, then fit plastic wrap over the custard so that it doesn’t form a crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Next, make the cake layers.

Ingredients for the cake:

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Warm the milk and honey and insert a thermometer. When it reaches 105-110 sprinkle in the yeast, stir once, then let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the eggs, salt, sugar, and both flours and mix until just combined. Cut in the softened butter and stir again to just combine. You can also do this in an electric stand mixer. Your dough will be soft and sticky.

Now butter a big bowl, scoop the dough into it, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 hours. Flour your hands and gently knead the dough for a minute or two, cover the bowl again and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Generously butter and flour or sugar the springform pan. Place the dough in the pan and use your fingers to press down into a layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to sit for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, make the almond topping.

Ingredients for almond topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat the butter, honey, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, take off the heat, add the almonds, stir to coat well, then scoop it all over the top of the cake dough in the springform pan.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake the cake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before unmolding the cake.

Now you want to slice the cake into two layers. Using a serrated knife, slice horizontally and remove the top layer. Spread the pastry cream then top with the top of the cake, sprinkle on the almonds, and serve.

If you don’t have time to make it, there’s a mix you can buy to make it quickly at home!

Here’s another intriguing recipe celebrating honey that I bet you’ve never heard of but is a treat as tapas or a snack.

Recipe:

Spanish Crispy Fried Eggplant with Honey (berenjenas con miel) recipe adapted from spanishsabores.com

Savory and sweet, these crispy eggplant batons are popular tapas in the Andalusia region of Spain. Sometimes drizzled with molasses, or golden honey, I like to drizzle mine with dark strong buckwheat honey.

Ingredients:

2-3 small eggplants, cut into batons about 1/4 inch thick

milk to cover

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

flour to coat, seasoned with salt and pepper

olive oil for frying, about 2 inches

sea salt flakes for garnishing

honey to drizzle on top

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, salt and pepper then drop in the eggplant batons and soak them for an hour.

Put enough flour to coat the batons in a large plate. Drain the eggplant then dredge them in the flour.

Heat the oil until very hot, then fry the eggplant batons. Remove when golden and drain on paper towels. Transfer to a serving plate, liberally sprinkle with sea salt flakes, then drizzle with honey and serve.

Favorite Flavors/Products this week:

Honey of course!!!!

Here are some great ones to try:

Eucalyptus Raw Honey from Sardinia: slightly bitter taste, totally addictive, great in tea.

Lavender Honey from France: made by bees frolicking in French lavender fields. Has a slight floral flavor and is lovely on hot buttered toast.

Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey: from a remote area of Australia, this honey is raw, unheated, unfiltered and not as sweet as most honey yet has a distinct floral taste with a creamy texture.

Mike’s Hot Honey: honey infused with chili peppers became a word-of-mouth cult product that first made its debut drizzled on pizza in Brooklyn. I slather it on roast chicken, barbecued shrimp, or baked salmon.

Sandt’s Raw Buckwheat Honey: from a family in Easton, Pennsylvania comes this strong dark brown honey with a great flavor profile. It is part of my winter medicinal food cabinet because it is so high in antioxidants and boosts immunity. Plus I have been eating buckwheat honey since I was a child, spread on toast or swirled into hot oatmeal, and can’t imagine a morning without it.

Good Reads, Good News:

What is Melipona Honey, and Why is it So Good? Epicurious article examines this Mexican Mayan honey that offers more antioxidant and inflammation reduction properties than honey produced from other bees. The Mayans used it as medicine for sore throats and to heal wounds. Chefs treasure it for its floral flavor.

Welcome to the American Apitherapy Society: alternative healthcare using bee products. Fascinating.

Honey from the Hamptons:

Sag Harbor Honey: once upon a time, a young couple that began farming on their balcony in Queens moved to 15 acres here in the East End. Now they are guardians for 50 hives producing local raw unfiltered honey. Their online store is easy to order from and is where I get my honeycomb and their amazing creamed cinnamon honey.

Bees Needs: Sag Harbor is home to this small artisanal honey maker that makes raw, unheated and unfiltered honey. Buy at Provisions in Sag Harbor and at most Hamptons farmers’ markets, including the Sag Harbor Farmers’ Market that begins the weekend before Memorial Day and continues through October.

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