Wow!  it has been quite a bit of time since I posted a recipe! Sorry about that. After my brother’s wedding. It’s been really difficult to get back into the full swing of things. And then on St. Patrick’s Day, I went crazy and made six or seven different traditional Irish dishes. (Including an ancient, a 200-year-old ginger beer recipe that I found an old British cookbook.) With a few modifications and having wait a couple weeks I can tell you that this is ginger beer which you’ll get in a few weeks will blow your mind.  I love the stuff and we’ll definitely make more!!) And I’ve been remaking them and again and again. They’re soo good! So keep your eyes out, because they are going to be a ton of Irish food coming soon on a site near you 🙂

Bienenstich is a rather tricky cake to make. I tried to do it a nontraditional version by removing the yeast. So, instead of getting your traditional bienenstich you got more of a standard honey cake. It worked out really well, but I do prefer the traditional yeasted cake. (Much more flavor, but it takes SOOO much longer!!!) This version, however, tasted great and is super fast to prepare. However you have it, bienenstich, by itself, is very good cake.

With that let’s get crackin’!!!!

Bienenstich (German Bee Sting Cake)

Now the future I’ll teach you how to make the more traditional version. But today I will explain how to make the faster non-yeasted cake. Like I said before it’s not quite at the same level but bienenstich (in any shape) is delicious anytime.

Let’s break down the recipe. We essentially have three parts. So we’ll approach each piece one step at a time.

Filling

To begin, let’s start with the filling. The filling will take a while to cool so we’ll get to the cake once the filling begins to cool. We’ll need

• 100 grams (½ cup) of sugar
• 18 grams (~2 tablespoons) of cornstarch
• 42.5 grams (~2 tablespoons) of flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 5 milliliters (~1 teaspoon) of vanilla extract
• Almond extract, to taste
• 500 milliliters (~17 fluid ounces) of milk

The filling is essentially a pastry cream. So, I grabbed the cream part of the Herrencreme recipe. It’s the exact same process!

First, we need to whisk together the dry ingredients, which are the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. This will give the dry ingredients a more even dispersal when mixed with the wet. (We won’t have chunks of cream that are really salty or really sweet.) In a separate bowl, take the egg yolks and gently stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the dry ingredients into the vanilla-yolk mixture and whisk it together. This will form a thick paste. So don’t worry if it seems a bit off. I can promise you that this will act as a roux and help hold our cream together!

Second, place a pot on the stove. Once it gets warm, pour in the milk and allow the milk to heat up. Once whisps of steam start to rise off of the milk, then we’re ready to move onto the next step!

For the third step, I’ve seen this done many ways. (Well, I’ve also seen people pour each ingredient separately into the milk. But let’s not talk about that.) Often, bakers will pour the egg yolk paste directly into the pot. Every time I’ve tried that I always scramble the eggs. The pot is WAY too hot, or the pot isn’t big enough and I spill. I’ve encountered too many problems to feel comfortable doing that. Instead, I pour the milk paste into the egg yolk paste. And then I whisk until it is fully incorporated. Try it! It always works for me! Only pour a bit in at a time, it’s just easier.

Next, place a strainer on top of the pot that held the milk. Slowly pour the mixture through the strainer into the pot. (This will catch any eggshells or chunks that we missed.) Place the pot on a medium stove. Stir until the mixture thickens. Once it thickens, stop stirring and wait until a few bubbles form. Then quickly remove the pot from the heat and stir for a minute.

Bienenstich: The Cake Part

Ah, now we’re on the cake. For the cake we’ll need the following ingredients:

• 230 grams (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 226 grams (⅔ cup) of honey
• 4 large eggs
• 8 milliliters (~½ tablespoon) of vanilla extract
• 384 grams (3 cups) self-raising flour
• Pinch salt
• 240 milliliters (1 cup) whole milk

Now, in the recipe below I separate all the ingredients into different pieces, but here we’ll use the ol’ All in One method. So, toss all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and start mixing. In a few seconds, the mixing will be done!

Before the next section of the recipe set the oven to 190℃ ( about 375℉). And pour the batter into a prepared 23 centimeter (9 inches) round springform pan. Now onto the topping! We can’t move on until the topping is ready!

A Traditional Bienenstich Topping

The topping is pretty simple, but you’ll need:

• 120 grams (¼ cup) of butter
• 85 grams (¼ cup) of honey
• 30 milliliters (~2 tablespoons) of heavy cream
• 110 grams (1 cup) slivered almonds, toasted

Melt the butter in a hot pan. Then mix the honey and the cream into the butter and heat until it turns gold and bubbles. Then stir in the almonds until they are fully coated.

Cake Part 2

Now, the cake batter is in the pan. Pour the almonds over the top. I’ve also covered the bienenstich with the almonds after I’ve baked it! Try both and let me know which you prefer!!

Once the oven is hot, pop the pan into the oven and let it cook for 25 minutes (or until done).

Decorating the Cake

Once the bienenstich cools, cut the cake in half (horizontally). Carefully fill the center of the cake with the pastry cream. Replace the top and chill the cake before serving!

And that’s that! Pretty simple, despite the number of steps. Bienenstich is amazingly delicious. It’s super simple, sugar-free, and German through and through. Let me know what you think!!!