German Bienenstich or Bee Sting Cake – Fast Version

The German Bienenstich, or Bee sting cake in English, is a traditional German cake and can be found in almost every German bakery. The name means literally “Bee Sting cake“. There is a legend where the baker who baked the cake had been stung by a bee because the sweet top layer of the cake attracted too many bees. The topping of this cake consists of a layer if caramelized honey almonds.
You may ask: Why is this a fast version?
Because this proven German recipe is not using a yeast dough. There is another way to make the dough by using yeast  – Go to the Recipefor the Yeast Dough Version –  Happy Baking!

Ingredients German Bienenstich

For the Base Cake
4 eggs
120 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar – 8g 
– How to Make Vanilla Sugar –
150 g flour
1 tbsp baking powder (not baking soda)

For the Filling
400 ml milk
1 package Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding
– How to make vanilla pudding – – alternatively 35g cornstarch and 1 tbsp vanilla extract
sugar to taste
200 ml heavy cream
2 sachets whip it

For the Topping
200 g sliced almonds
50 g butter
40 g sugar
2 tbsp honey
40 ml heavy cream 

Baking Instructions German Bienenstich

– Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar for about 3 min by using a hand mixer.
– Add flour mixed with baking powder, mix well.
– Pre-heat oven to 180 C  or 160 C  convection –  350 F or 320 F
– Place dough into a 26 cm diameter spring form which is greased or layered with parchment paper.
– Bake for 25 min.

– Meanwhile melt butter for the topping.
– Add honey, sugar, heavy cream, and bring to. abrief boil.
– Combine with sliced almonds  and bring again to a brief boil.
– Remove base cake briefly from oven and spread almond mix on top.
– Bake for 15 min more.
– Remove from oven, release from form right away , let cool off on a cooling rack.

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Filling
–  Make the pudding per instructions.
– Let cool off  a bit (place plastic foil on top to avoid skin build up).
– Beat heavy cream until firm, while doing this add slowly the whip it powder

– When cake has been cooled off completely remove parchment paper if you used it.
– Cut cake horizontally in half, and spread a layer of the filling on the lower half (the cream is in the middle).
– Keep cake cool until you serve it.

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