Friday 24 February 2017

Bee Sting Cake.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Alhamdulillah, we survived the storm!
I hope you did too.
Here in the north west, we had a lot of heavy rain and strong winds. Alhamdulillah, this morning we woke to beautiful sunshine which now at 12:40pm, is still going strong. The sunshine is putting me in the mood for Spring which I am so excited for. A few daffodils and snowdrops have already popped up here and there but not enough to attract any bees.
Which brings me to this cake - the German Bee Sting Cake. I must admit that the name of the cake was what attracted me to it in the first place. According to the font of all internet knowledge, the name comes for one of maybe two reasons.

The first according to one legend, a bee was attracted to it, and the baker who invented the cake was stung. And the second, which is my personal favourite, is the legend of German bakers from the 15th century who lobbed beehives at raiders from a neighboring village, successfully repelling them, and celebrated later by baking a version of this cake named after their efforts. I mean, if that's not the best way to get rid of thieves, then I don't know what is.

This cake is not a cake in the traditional sense. In fact, I think it would make a great Bake Off technical challenge! It's a sweet yeast dough baked with a crunchy caramel almond topping. Once cooled and sliced, it's filled with a thick vanilla pastry cream. It's something a little different and definitely one for those who want a baking challenge for the weekend.

Sweet Yeast Dough, previously: 9 recipes here!

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Cake:
1. Plain Flour
2. Dried Yeast
3. Salt
4. Caster Sugar
5. Milk
6. Butter
7. Eggs

For the Caramel Almond Topping:

1. Butter
2. Caster Sugar
3. Double Cream
4. Honey
5. Sea Salt
6. Flaked Almonds

For the Thick Vanilla Custard:

1. Caster Sugar
2. Cornflour
3. Egg Yolks
4. Milk
5. Vanilla Pod
6. Butter

Bismillah, let's begin!


We start by mixing together the cake batter. I used a stand mixer but you can just as easily mix it by hand or with an electric hand mixer.


Into a bowl, place 300g Plain Flour.

Then, take 1 packet (7g) Dried Yeast.


And, add to the flour.


Mix with a spoon. I do this because we don't want the yeast to come into direct contact with the salt which we're going to add now.


So, in goes 3/4 teaspoon Salt.


To sweeten things up, in goes 60g Caster Sugar.


Let's finish the batter off by adding in 190ml Milk.


Along with 60g Butter, softened.


And, 2 large Eggs.


Start mixing up the batter until ...


... until well combined.


The batter will be very loose and sticky.


This is a yeasted batter so we're going to cover the bowl with clingfilm and put it into a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, generously butter a 9 inch (22cm) round cake tin.


Here, I actually used an 8 inch (20cm) round tin but I would use a 9 inch next time.


After the hour, the batter won't be doubled in size but will be a little puffy.


Give it a little stir.


Then, scrape the batter into the buttered tin.


Once the batter is in ...


... cover the tin with clingfilm and put in a warm place for 30 minutes.


While the batter rises, let's make the caramel almond topping. I like to make mine in a light coloured pan so that I can see the colour of the caramel.


Into the pan, place 85g Butter.


Along with 80g Caster Sugar.


35ml (2 tablespoons) Double Cream


And, as a little nod to the name of this cake, in goes 65ml (3 tablespoons) Honey.


I think the bees would approve.


Finally, add in 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt.


Heat the pan over a medium heat, stirring until everything has melted.


Let the mixture until a deep golden brown. I wish that I had gotten mine slightly darker.


For the almonds, I used flaked almonds. You can also use chopped almonds too.


Add in the almonds.


Stir well and remove from the heat.


By now, the 30 minutes rising time for the batter should be over. Heat the oven to 180C.


Spoon the almond mixture onto the batter.


Until it's all on and evenly distributed.


To bake, place the tin onto a foil-lined baking tray to catch any caramel drips. Bake the cake for 25-32 minutes at 180C until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with no wet batter on it.


Like this! If you use the 9 inch tin as I recommend, there shouldn't be as many drips.

Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

Then, run a knife around the edge of the tin.


It's time to turn it out!


Had to include a shot of that golden bottom! That's because we liberally buttered the tin!


Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely.


Next, while the cake cools, we can make a thick vanilla custard because that also needs to cool too. This custard is basically a pastry cream or creme patissiere. Take a heatproof bowl.


Throw in 112g Caster Sugar.


45g Cornflour


And, 4 large Egg Yolks. Two of mine popped which is fine!


Whisk everything together. It will be a little difficult at first.


But work with it, and you'll get a pale, smooth mixture.


Meanwhile, in a deep saucepan, place 500ml Milk.


Slice up 1 Vanilla Pod and squeeze in the seeds. Add the pod in for extra flavour.


Heat the milk until just boiling.


Pour a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture.


Quickly whisk in well.


Gradually pour in the rest of the hot milk and whisk in. At this point, discard the vanilla pod.


Once everything has been whisked together ...


... pour the mixture back into the saucepan.


Whisk over a medium heat until thick.


Remove from the heat and whisk in 40g Butter, cubed. If you want an extra vanilla flavour, stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla essence at this point too.


And, the custard is done!


We need the custard to be cold before using it as a filling for our cake.


Put it into a bowl and cover the custard with clingfilm, making sure that the clingfilm is touching the custard to avoid a skin forming.


Once the cake and custard have both cooled, slice the cake horizontally through the middle.


Here is the bottom layer!


Give the custard a good stir. You could also fold in a little whipped cream, if you want a lighter filling.


Spread all the custard onto the bottom layer.


Before placing the second layer on top!


This cake is best served straight away and we love it at room temperature.



This cake is so good! It's more on the sweet bread side rather than a traditional sponge. The combination of the cake with the crunchy, caramel almond top and the vanilla custard filling cannot be beaten. So good and something a little different!

Bee Sting Cake.

Prep Time: About 1 hour + 55 minutes.
Bake Time: About 30 minutes.
Serves: About 8 people.

Ingredients

For the Cake
300g Plain Flour
7g (1 packet) Dried Yeast
3/4 teaspoon Salt
60g Caster Sugar
190ml Milk
60g Butter, softened
2 large Eggs

For the Caramel Almond Topping
85g Butter
80g Caster Sugar
35ml (2 tablespoons) Double Cream
65ml (3 tablespoons) Honey
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
180g Flaked/Chopped Almonds

For the Thick Vanilla Custard
112g Caster Sugar
45g Cornflour
4 Egg Yolks
500ml Milk
1 Vanilla Pod, sliced
40g Butter, cubed

Mix the cake batter:
Mix together the flour and yeast in a large bowl. Then, add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until well combined. The batter will be very loose and sticky.

Let the cake batter rise:
Cover the bowl with clingfilm. Let the cake batter rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Time for the second rise:
After 1 hour, the batter will be a little puffy but not fully doubled in size. Generously butter a 9 inch (22cm) round cake tin. Scrape in the cake batter and cover the tin with clingfilm. Let the batter rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Make the caramel almond topping:
In a large pan with high sides, place all the ingredients except the almonds. Heat over a medium heat, stirring until everything has melted. Let the mixture bubble until golden brown. Stir in the almonds and remove from the heat.

Time to bake:
Heat the oven to 180C. Once the cake batter has risen for 30 minutes, spoon the almond topping on top. Put the tin on a foil-lined baking tray and bake for 25-32 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If some of the caramel has sunk into the middle or out of the tin, it's fine. Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

Cool the cake:
After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the cake. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Make and cool the vanilla custard:
Put the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks into a heatproof bowl. Whisk until pale. Put the milk and vanilla pod into a deep saucepan. Heat until just boiling then pour a little into the sugar bowl. Whisk well then gradually whisk in the rest of the milk mixture. Discard the vanilla pod.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk again over a medium heat until thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Place in a bowl and cover with clingfilm, making sure that the clingfilm touches the custard. Cool completely.

Assemble the cake:
Slice the cake horizontally through the middle. Spread the cold vanilla custard over the bottom layer then place on the top layer.

Serve:
Slice and serve. This cake is best eaten fresh but does keep for a few days. I like to serve it at room temperature.


Recipe Notes

  • I actually used an 8 inch cake tin but recommend that you use the 9 inch. This will prevent any extra leakage. 
  • If you haven't got a vanilla pod for the custard, stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla essence with the butter.

{adapted from smitten kitchen}

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your cake!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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