Bienenstich

Description

Bienenstich is one of the most famous yeast cakes in the German baking tradition. A layer of yeast dough about a finger thick is baked with a caramelized topping made of butter, sugar, honey, cream, and slivered…

1. 1

   For the yeast dough, warm 250 ml of milk until lukewarm (not hot, or the yeast will die). Dissolve 1 cube of fresh yeast (42 g) or 1 packet of dry yeast in the milk, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes until bubbles form.

   ⏱️ approx. 12 min

   💡 Tip: The milk should be no warmer than 37 degrees — test it with your finger: it should be pleasantly lukewarm, not hot. Yeast dies at temperatures above 45 degrees.

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2. 2

   Sift 500 g of flour (type 405) into a large bowl. Add 80 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 egg, and 100 g of melted (but cooled) butter. Pour in the yeast mixture and knead everything with a dough hook or by hand for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and shiny.

   ⏱️ approx. 10 min

   💡 Tip: The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be elastic. Add 1–2 tablespoons of flour if needed—but it should remain soft rather than dry.

3. 3

   Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 minutes, until it has visibly doubled in size. Then knead it briefly and roll it out to about 1.5 cm thick on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or in a 26-cm springform pan). Let it rest for another 20 minutes.

   ⏱️ approx. 80 min

   💡 Tip: Use the oven with the light on and a bowl of hot water to create a proofing environment if the kitchen is cool.

4. 4

   For the Bienenstich cake, melt 100 g butter, 100 g sugar, 2 tbsp honey, and 4 tbsp cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and turns a light golden color. Remove from the heat and stir in 200 g slivered almonds.

   ⏱️ approx. 8 min

   💡 Tip: Don't let the mixture cook for too long, or it will become hard after baking and crumble when cut. A light golden color is enough—it will brown further in the oven.

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5. 5

   Spread the warm (not hot) almond mixture evenly over the risen yeast dough. Leave a 1-cm border around the edge to prevent it from spilling over. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (top and bottom heat) for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and caramelized.

   ⏱️ approx. 30 min

   💡 Tip: If the almonds start to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Check them after 20 minutes—almonds burn easily.

6. 6

   Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack—at least 1 hour. Only a completely cooled cake can be sliced cleanly without the almond topping cracking.

   ⏱️ approx. 60 min

   💡 Tip: Patience pays off. When the cake is warm, the filling melts away instantly.

7. 7

   For the filling, mix 1 packet of vanilla pudding mix with 50 g sugar and 6 tablespoons of cold milk until smooth. Bring 500 ml of milk to a boil, stir in the pudding mixture, and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming). Let cool completely.

   ⏱️ approx. 45 min

   💡 Tip: The plastic wrap MUST be placed directly on top of the pudding; otherwise, a skin will form, which will later cause lumps in the cream.

8. 8

   Whisk the cold pudding with a whisk or hand mixer until smooth—it will be lumpy at first, but will become creamy again. Whip 250 ml of heavy cream until stiff and gently fold it into the pudding. This creates the typical light and fluffy Bienenstich filling (diplomat cream).

   ⏱️ approx. 8 min

   💡 Tip: Use the cream and pudding while they're both cold; otherwise, the cream will curdle. Don't stir—just fold it in—the lightness comes from the air in the cream.

9. 9

   Once the cake has cooled completely, cut it horizontally in half using a long, sharp bread knife. Carefully lift off the top half with the almond topping and pre-cut it into pieces (8–12 pieces) before filling—this will prevent it from breaking later.

   ⏱️ approx. 8 min

   💡 Tip: Cutting the almond topping before adding the filling is a pro tip: if the cream is already underneath, cutting it will otherwise squish the filling.

10. 10

    Spread the pudding-cream filling evenly over the bottom crust (about 2 cm thick). Carefully place the pre-cut almond topping on top and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Then cut into pieces and serve.

    ⏱️ approx. 125 min

    💡 Tip: After 2 hours, the filling will have set and the cake will be ready to slice. Eat it within 2 days—the cream won't keep any longer than that.

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