Bee Sting Cake

When I set out to make this Bee Sting Cake—Bienenstich, for you German speakers out there—I searched around quite a bit for the right recipe. The main components of this treat are pretty simple: yeasted cake batter or dough that’s topped with sticky, honeyed almonds and a pastry cream filling. But, as we all know, sometimes simple recipes are the trickiest to get right. When I saw Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s exhaustive Beinenstich research, however, I knew I could trust her recipe. 

 It starts with a base that is more of a cake batter than a bread dough,  which makes for layers that are more light and fluffy than dense. The  sticky almond topping is held together with sugar and honey, and  seasoned with a hefty pinch of salt, which cuts through the richness—I’d  argue it's the most important ingredient. The layers of cake are filled  with pastry cream that's very thick to ensure that it doesn’t just fall  out of the sides of the cake when sliced. The result is a slightly  sweet cake that is equally great as a celebratory dessert or an  indulgent breakfast treat.