Bienenstich — bee-sting honey-almond cake

i. Origin & history

Bienenstich is found in nearly every German bakery and is a traditional cake of the Andechs region in Bavaria. The honey-and-almond crust is what makes it distinctive.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 250 g plain flour
• 30 g sugar
• Pinch salt
• 7 g instant yeast
• 100 ml warm milk
• 1 egg
• 60 g unsalted butter, soft
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 150 g flaked almonds
• Pinch salt
• 500 ml whole milk
• 100 g sugar
• 60 g cornstarch
• 2 yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 200 ml double cream, whipped

iii. Method

1. Make dough: mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast; add milk, egg, butter; knead and prove 60 min.
2. Roll dough into a 22 cm round; place in a greased tin; prove 30 min.
3. Make topping: melt butter, sugar, honey, cream and salt; bring to a boil; stir in almonds. Spread over the proven dough.
4. Bake at 180 °C for 25 min until topping is caramelised. Cool.
5. Make pastry cream: cook milk, sugar, cornstarch, yolks, vanilla to thick custard; cool; fold in whipped cream.
6. Slice cake horizontally. Spread cream on the bottom half; replace the top.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Lemon Bienenstich adds zest. Modern Bienenstich uses pastry-cream-and-whipped-cream blends.

vii. More from Austrian & German

• Kardinalschnitten — Cardinal's slice
• Apfelstrudel — apple strudel
• Topfenstrudel — quark strudel
• Prinzregententorte — Bavarian seven-layer cake
• Donauwelle — Danube wave
• Kasekuchen — German baked cheesecake