Bienenstich — German Yeast Cake with Honey-Almond Topping and Cream

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk and egg, then knead for 5 minutes. Add the butter a few pieces at a time and knead for 5 more minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let it rise.

Punch down the risen dough. Use your fingers to press it into an even layer in a greased 26 cm springform pan, then cover it.

Bring the butter, sugar, honey, and cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale golden. Stir in the sliced almonds, remove the pan from the heat, and let the topping cool until lukewarm.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Spoon the lukewarm almond mixture evenly over the risen dough. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the topping is deep golden caramel and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.

Bring 400 ml of the milk and the vanilla to a boil. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 100 ml milk with the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk in a ladleful of the hot milk to warm the mixture, then pour it back into the pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil for 2 more minutes; the starch thickens only once it boils, and the cream should fall in a thick ribbon from a spoon. Transfer it to a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface.

Whip the cold cream until it forms stiff peaks. Beat the cooled pastry cream for 1 minute until smooth, then fold in the whipped cream in two additions with a spatula.

Use a bread knife to cut the cake horizontally in half. First cut the top half, with the almond crust, into 12 slices; leaving it whole would crush the cream when you cut it later. Return the bottom half to the pan, spread the cream over it, and arrange the slices on top in order.

Release the springform pan. Following the lines between the top slices, cut through the cake with a sharp knife.