Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)

I'm sure that this is a staple recipe in most Mennonite households. . . .so it needs to be included here as well. I was merrily putting this together yesterday. I was half way finished when I suddenly remembered that I originally got the recipe from Anneliese .. .who also contributes to the blog. . .I emailed her and told her that I was making her recipe, I would take the picture and send it to her and she could post it. She graciously told me to go ahead and post it myself.

So. . .here is Anneliese's and most likely her Mom's Bienenstich. . .  A few minor changes were made to the topping when a reader called me to say they did some experiments on the topping and the end result was fantastic.

Base:

• 4 farm fresh eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch Salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter

Beat the eggs and sugar together really well in a large bowl .. .Beat them until they are thick. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir this into the beaten eggs and sugar. Heat the milk and butter till very hot .. not quite boiling. Add the hot milk/butter to the batter. Pour into a large shallow greased and parchment papered pan. Bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 min
Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup shredded or medium coconut
• 1 1/2 cup slivered or flaked almonds
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream

While the cake it baking, spread the coconut and almonds separately on cookie sheets and put them in the oven to slightly toast.  Remove from oven and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat together the butter and brown sugar and the whipping cream until it just comes to a boil. Add the toasted coconut and the almonds. Spread onto the baked cake as even as you can. Broil carefully for a few minutes until it is nicely browned. .. Do not walk away from your kitchen.

Filling:

• 2 cups of whipping cream ( or the remainder of a 500 ml container)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• a packet of whipping cream stabilizer or 2 tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding

Whip the filling together.
Now comes the tricky part. Take the cake out of the pan. . with the paper on. Set it on the counter and with a long serrated knife slice it in half. Very carefully slide your hand under the top layer and slide it off .. as best you can. Put the whipped cream on the bottom layer and then slide the top layer back on top.
Voila. . .well done. Now, just set it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. This actually freezes really well and cuts very easy when partially frozen. I did this to take the picture. Thank you Anneliese for this wonderful recipe. . I've been making it for nearly 30 years I'm sure.

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