GERMAN BEE STING CAKE

Add the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is pale and smooth, about 1 minute. The mixture will seem too dry at first but keep whisking and it will loosen. Whisk in the milk, a splash at a time, whisking constantly until all of the milk has been incorporated.

Pour the milk mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to simmer and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Once it begins to gently bubble, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer to cook out the starch. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.

Pour the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate while preparing the cake.

To make the cake, heat the milk and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture sit until lukewarm.

Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, eggs, bread flour, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute until everything comes together and forms a rough dough. Then, increase the speed to level 2/medium speed and continue kneading for 6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic and not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, make the almond topping. Place the butter, honey, and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Set it on medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the sliced almonds. Set aside and let it cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. The cream should thicken and when you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the peak should stand up.

Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator, and use a whisk to stir the pastry cream until smooth and creamy. Add half of the whipped cream to the chilled pastry cream and use a rubber spatula to gently combine. Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream. The filling should be smooth, light, and airy.

Once the cake has cooled completely, assemble the cake. Using a serrated bread knife, split the cake in half horizontally. Use a spatula to spread the filling over the bottom layer of the cake. Leave a half-inch margin around the edges. You won’t use all of the filling, or it may ooze out the sides.