Best 7 Bienenstich Recipes

BEE STING CAKE (BIENENSTICH) I

Steps:

• Combine the yeast, and the warm water; set aside to proof for 5 minutes.
• Cream 3/4 cup butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla, milk, sour cream, and yeast. Beat until smooth. Add the flour a little at a time to form a soft dough. Add all of the flour, and continue to beat until elastic, about 8 minutes. Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 50 minutes. Can be placed in the refrigerator overnight instead.
• Beat down the dough, and divide into two pieces. Place each in a buttered 9 inch square pan. Brush the top of each with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Cover and let rise until doubled.
• For the glaze, place the brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, cream, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat; add the lemon juice and almonds. Let cool slightly. Drizzle the warm glaze, not hot, over each of the cakes.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until the nuts are golden. Cool on a rack.
• Split the cakes lengthwise using a serrated knife, and fill with the pastry cream. Sandwich cakes back together and serve.

BIENENSTICH III (GERMAN BEE STING CAKE)

Steps:

• Cake Layer:.
• Combine flour, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, 3/4 cup milk, and 3 tablespoons butter.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled.
• Punch down the dough. Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Spread into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine and confectioner's sugar in a saucepan. Add almonds and 1 tablespoon milk. Remove from heat, and stir in honey. Spread evenly and carefully onto the dough. Allow dough to continue to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Pastry Cream Filling:.
• In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch and then stir them into the egg until smooth.
• When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs do not curdle or scorch on the bottom.
• When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended.
• Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled (at least one hour).
• Beat the whipping cream with the cream of tartar until stiff. Fold into the chilled pudding.
• Cut the cooled almond cake into 1 1/2 x 2 inch rectangles. Slice each horizontally into halves. Fill with vanilla pudding mixture, chill, and serve cold.

BEE STING CAKE (BIENENSTICH)

Steps:

• Make the cake: Combine all of the cake ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, stirring till the mixture becomes cohesive, then stirring for two minutes more. In a stand mixer, you can mix this with the paddle attachment (no dough hook needed; batter is thin) at low-medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place for 60 minutes, till it's a little puffy. (It won't fully double; this is fine.)
• Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Stir the batter a few times to deflate it slightly, then scrape it into the prepared pan and nudge it until it fills the bottom. Cover again with plastic wrap (don't let it drape in and touch the top) and set aside for another 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the honey-almond-crunch topping: In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter, sugar, honey, cream and salt until the butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture becomes a shade darker (it should go from a yellowish tone to a light beige), stirring frequently. Stir in the almonds. You will probably panic because this mixture is going to get very thick - but don't. Set it aside to cool slightly.
• Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Once the cake has finished its second rise (again, it's not going to rise a lot; don't sweat it) use a small spoon to scoop out small amounts of the almond topping and distribute it over the top of the cake. It's going to be a little pesky because it is firm, but I promise (see above: multiple photos of this process to ease your worry), even if it's not perfectly evenly distributed, it will all smooth out gorgeously in the oven.
• Bake cake on a foil-lined tray to catch any caramel drips, for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is bronzed and toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free. (Caramel on it is fine, and should be tasted.) Transfer to a cooling rack and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the outside of the cake, making sure no places are stuck and invert the cake onto the cooling rack. If you're like me, you'll be positive that all of the almonds will fall off, but shockingly, in five rounds, I only lost one or two. Reverse it back onto another rack to finish cooling, replacing any almonds that fell off right back on top. They'll merge back with the caramel as it cools; nobody will know.
• Make pastry cream: Warm milk and vanilla bean scrapings (if using; if using an extract, don't add yet) in a medium saucepan. Pour into a small bowl or cup, ideally with a spout. Set aside. Rinse saucepan with cool water, to rinse and cool; wipe to dry. Off the heat, whisk the yolks and sugar vigorously together for a minute, until pale and ribbony. Whisk in flour and salt until smooth. Drizzle in warm milk mixture, a spoonful at a time, whisking the whole time. Once you've add half of it, you can add the rest in a more steady stream, again whisking the whole time. Return the saucepan to the stove and cook on medium-high heat until it bubble, then simmer for one to two minutes, more whisking the whole time. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and any extracts you may be using. Cool custard completely before using, a process that can be sped up in the fridge or whisking it over a bowl over ice water.
• Finally, assemble the cake: Once both the cake and pastry cream are fully cooled, place the cake on a serving platter and divide it horizontally into two layers with a long serrated knife. Spread pastry cream over bottom half. Place top half on pastry cream. Serve in wedges; watch out for bees. Refrigerate any leftovers.

BIENENSTICH

Steps:

• Topping:.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the honey, cream and sugar. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes then add the almonds and vanilla. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Cake:.
• Mix the whipping cream and sugar until smooth, then add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the flour, vanilla and baking powder. Pour into two greased and floured jelly roll pans. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
• Spread the topping on the partially cooked top layer of the cake and allow to bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Make the vanilla pudding mix according to the package. Allow the cake to cool before assembling the final product.

BEE STING CAKE (BIENENSTICH) II

Steps:

• Combine flour, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, 3/4 cup milk, and 3 tablespoons butter or margarine. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled.
• Punch down the dough. Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Spread into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine and confectioner's sugar in a saucepan. Add almonds and 1 tablespoon milk. Remove from heat, and stir in honey. Spread evenly and carefully onto the dough. Allow dough to continue to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Dissolve cornstarch in a little milk. Combine 1 1/2 cups milk, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon sugar inn the top of a double boiler. Heat while stirring until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in beaten egg, and keep stirring for about 2 more minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat, and stir in extract. Chill, covered, in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Beat the whipping cream with the cream of tartar until stiff. Fold into the chilled pudding.
• Cut the cooled almond crust bread into 1 1/4 x 2 inch rectangles. Slice each horizontally into halves. Fill with pudding mixture. Chill, and serve cold.

BIENENSTICH CAKE [BEE STING CALE]

Steps:

• 1. Manual/Mixer Method: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, stirring until the mixture becomes cohesive. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled or lightly floured work surface, and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes, until it is smooth OR knead it in an electric mixer, using the dough hook, for 4 to 7 minutes at medium speed. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to grease all sides, cover the bowl with a proof cover or plastic wrap, and let it rise for 60 minutes, until it is puffy.
• 2. Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually,liquids first, yeast last). Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. After about 10 minutes of kneading, check the dough's consistency; it should be fairly smooth, slightly sticky, not dry and "gnarly." Adjust its consistency with additional flour or water, if necessary, and allow the machine to complete its cycle.
• 3. Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, fold it over to expel any excess gas, then divide it in half. Roll each piece into a ball, then pat and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle. Place the circles into two lightly greased 8-inch cake pans; don't worry if the dough shrinks away from the edges of the pans. Allow it to rise/rest for 30 minutes-the gluten will relax, making the dough easier to work with-then gently stretch and pat it to reach the edge. Make the topping while the dough is rising.
• 4. Topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add the sugar, honey and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it for 3 to 5 minutes, until it's taken on a very light gold color. Stir in the sliced almonds, let cool slightly, then spread over the dough in the pans.
• 5. Baking: Bake the Bienenstich in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven for 25 to 28 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the topping is bubbling. Remove it from the oven, and cool in the pan for 30 minutes, to allow the topping to firm up. Run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen any stuck-on dough, and flip each cake over onto a plate, then flip back onto a rack so the almond topping is up. Cool completely before filling.
• 6. Assembly: Carefully split each of the cakes in half horizontally, so that you have four thin, round cakes. This is best done using a serrated knife; cut slowly and check as you go to make sure you're staying on a straight line. Set the cakes aside. Soften the gelatin in the 2 tablespoons water, then heat the mixture (in a microwave set on low, or over low heat in a saucepan) until the gelatin has melted and the mixture is clear. Let it cool slightly. Fold a bit of the whipped cream into the gelatin, then fold that back into the remaining whipped cream. Mix the instant pudding with the milk and vanilla, stirring for 2 minutes as the box directs. Immediately fold the whipped cream/gelatin mixture into the pudding (the pudding will begin to set up, so work quickly). Use this faux pastry cream to fill the cakes. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
• 7. The whipped cream makes the filling very rich, while the gelatin stabilizes it, so it'll stay firm (and not "weep") in your pastry for days, if necessary. When you'rein a hurry, and know you're making a pastry that doesn't have to keep for a long time, simply prepare instant vanilla pudding mix using heavy cream instead of milk, spiking it with an extra shot (a teaspoon or two) of vanilla extract. Either of these two methods produces a filling that's wonderful for cream puffs, éclairs, napoleons (if you ever make those at home), cakes, or other filled confections.

BIENENSTICH

Steps:

• Beat eggs a little, add sugar gradually and beat for about 7 minutes.
• Add vanilla.
• Mix flour and baking powder; add to egg mixture.
• Scald milk, remove from heat and add butter.
• Add to egg mixture and stir well.
• Oil and flour large cookie sheet (10 x 15), and spread batter evenly.
• Bake at 350 deg.F until golden brown (approx. 15 - 20 minutes).
• Prepare topping for cake: melt butter, add sugar and remaining ingredients.
• Spread on cake and broil until golden brown.
• Cool.
• Put the cake with pan into the freezer for at least 1/2 - 1 hour. After the cake is removed from the pan, using a large sharp knife, cut the cake in half horizonally.
• Spread the lower layer with the whipped cream filling and replace the upper half of cake.
• The cake can be stored in the pan till ready to serve.
• You can freeze this cake and it will always taste fresh.