Bienenstich is a German cake made with sweet bread, vanilla custard filling, and honey-glazed sliced almonds. Its name means “bee sting” and its origin is uncertain, with one legend involving a baker being stung by a bee. The cake is made in three layers and baked for 20-30 minutes.
Bienenstich is a German cake made primarily from sweet bread, filled with vanilla custard and topped with honey-glazed sliced almonds. Bienenstich means “bee sting” in German. The denomination of this food product, traditionally eaten as a dessert but also eaten as a snack with tea or coffee, indicates its mode of origin and there are different accounts.
The most popular and perhaps most plausible account of the origin of Bienenstich involves a German baker who encounters a bee as he was trying out a new cake recipe. The bee was probably attracted to the honey topping on the cake, and the baker was stung as a result. So he called his cake after the accident.
Another legend attributes the origin of Bienenstich not only to a German baker, but to many of them. In the 15th century, a group of bakers drove off invaders from a nearby village by throwing beehives at them. To celebrate, they churned out the Bienenstich prototype.
Bienenstich is produced on three levels, from bottom to top: pastry dough, filling and topping. While the oven is set to preheat, flour, butter or oil, sugar, salt, eggs, milk or water are mixed in a large bowl to create the pie dough. Some people choose to add yeast to the mix, while others omit it. After mixing, the dough is kneaded for a few minutes before being spread out into a lightly greased pan. Then it is set aside.
The filling is usually made by mixing the vanilla-pudding mixture. Some people, however, choose to use vanilla extract, butter, sugar, and milk instead. In both cases, the mixture is cooked in a saucepan until thick. Then the filling is evenly distributed over the pie dough.
The Bienenstich topping is made by mixing sliced almonds, honey and butter in another saucepan. The honey and butter enter first, then the almonds when the dough takes on a very light gold colour. After that, the filling is spread over the pie dough. Some people prefer to simply heat the honey and butter, then sprinkle the almonds over the topping after it’s introduced into the dough. The cake is then placed in the oven and allowed to bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until it is a light golden brown color and the topping begins to bubble.
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