Bienenstich

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rimmed baking sheet, about 30x40cm
• •Stand mixer or large mixing bowl
• •Small saucepan
• •Whisk
• •Serrated knife
• •Offset spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Warm the milk to blood heat, no hotter, because hot milk kills yeast before it can lift the dough. Mix the yeast with the milk and a spoon of the sugar, then work in the flour, remaining sugar, egg, soft butter, and salt until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Knead it until it pulls cleanly from the bowl; weak kneading gives you a tight cake, not the soft crumb that has to hold the cream.

2. 2

   Let it rise

   Cover the dough and leave it warm until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. Don't watch the clock harder than the dough. Yeast works by warmth and mood, not by your impatience, and doubled dough bakes light while under-risen dough stays dense under the almond roof.

3. 3

   Cook the custard

   Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and a splash of the milk until smooth, because dry starch lumps later and then no sieve saves your pride. Heat the remaining milk with the vanilla, whisk it into the yolk mixture, then return everything to the pan and cook until thick and glossy. Boil it for one full minute while whisking; cornstarch needs that heat to set properly and lose its raw taste.

   Press film directly onto the custard and chill it. A skin forms when air dries the surface, and those little bits show up in the cream later. Nicht aus dem Glas. Make the pudding yourself.
4. 4

   Shape the base

   Line a 30x40cm rimmed baking sheet and press or roll the risen dough evenly into it. Keep the thickness even to the corners, because a thin corner burns before the middle has baked through. Cover and let it rise again for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffy but still able to carry the topping.

5. 5

   Make almond top

   Melt the butter, sugar, honey, and cream together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns glossy, then stir in the almonds and take it off the heat. Do not cook it dark in the pan. The oven still has work to do, and a topping that starts brown will finish bitter.

6. 6

   Spread and bake

   Spoon the warm almond mixture over the risen dough and spread it lightly with the back of a spoon, touching it as little as possible so you don't press out the yeast lift. Bake at 180C for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden, the middle springs back, and the almonds are amber with a crisp glossy finish. Watch the last five minutes. Honey goes from golden to burned while you are looking for a plate.

7. 7

   Cool and split

   Cool the cake completely in the tin, then lift it out and cut it into two long slabs or into manageable rectangles before splitting each piece horizontally. A cold cake cuts cleanly; a warm cake tears and melts the filling. Use a serrated knife and let the teeth do the work, because pressing down cracks the almond top.

8. 8

   Fill the cake

   Whisk the chilled custard smooth, whip the cold cream to soft peaks, and fold the two together so the filling is light but still strong enough to slice. Spread it over the bottom layer, set the almond top back on, and chill the cake at least one hour so the cream firms. Cut with a serrated knife through the almond crust first, then down through the cream. Erst verstehen, dann kochen.

Chef Tips

• •Use sliced almonds, not chopped almonds. Slices lie flat and caramelise into a proper roof; chopped nuts make a rough gravel that cuts badly.
• •Honey belongs in the topping, but don't let it dominate. Too much honey burns faster and makes the crust sticky instead of crisp under the teeth.
• •For a firmer Konditorei-style filling, beat 100g soft butter into the cold custard before folding in only 150ml whipped cream. For the lighter home version, keep the butter out and chill the cake well.
• •Cut the top layer into serving portions before setting it back on the cream if you want neat pieces. The almond crust is strong, and the cream underneath is not a building site.
• •Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for two days. The almond top softens by the second day, but it still eats properly with coffee.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the vanilla custard up to one day ahead and chill it with film pressed directly on the surface. Cold custard folds cleanly with cream and doesn't loosen the filling.
• •Bake the yeast cake the morning you plan to serve it, then fill it after it is completely cool. Filled Bienenstich needs at least one hour in the refrigerator before slicing.
• •For a Sunday coffee table, assemble it up to six hours ahead. Longer than that, the cream is fine but the almond crust starts to soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)