This is a quick and easy variation of the classic German Bee Sting Cake that gives you a buttercream torte flavour without the labour intensity! Honey, almond and Bavarian-style cream filling...yum!
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What Makes This Recipe Special?
- This recipe is so easy. You use a cake mix and then the icing and filling are only 4 ingredients!
- You can pipe the icing if you want to be a bit fancy or just spread it as the filling and leave the edges bare (like the traditional).
- You get 80% of the flavour with 20% of the effort of the traditional German tortes. While there are many versions of Bee Sting Cake, often the batter is a dense yeast-based one. Using a cake mix and a vanilla pudding in the 'Bavarian cream' makes this foolproof and easy enough for any home baker.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cake Mix - I like a French vanilla but any neutral vanilla or golden mix would be fine.
- The pudding needs to be instant pudding, not the cooked one.
- The remaining whipping cream, pudding, honey and almond slices are all common ingredients.
How To Make
Exact instructions are in the recipe card but you are basically going to:
- Simmer the honey and almond topping mixture.
- Bake the cake according to the box instructions. Baking it in 2 layer pans makes for the easiest assembly but you can use a spring form pan and slice the cake horizontally.
- Prepare the pudding frosting/filling
- Assemble the cake when it has cooled.
This cake is moist and is not overly sweet.. it is more creamy, vanilla-y. Definitely a hit around our house! Serve chilled from the fridge and it is a nice refreshing dessert. Perfect for a BBQ or picnic too!
Update December 2017: I made this again for a Birthday cake so I wanted to up the presentation factor. Check out the slight changes I made to produce this 'occasion worthy' Bee Sting II cake!
FAQs
You can substitute other nuts like hazelnuts or pecans for the almonds but you will really stray away from the signature flavours.
You could use a commercial vanilla custard such as Bird's in the filling. I have not tried this so you would need to decide if you want to mix it with some whipped cream to lighten the texture or just use it straight.
Surprisingly, this freezes and defrosts well. The texture of the 'Bavarian cream' will be a bit flatter but it still tastes very good!
Related Recipes
German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
Cake
- 1 French vanilla cake mix or similar neutral flavour
Topping
- ½ cup honey
- 6 Tbsps unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup almond slices
- 1-2 Tbsps flour to sprinkle over top of batter of top layer
Filling
- 1 ¼ cup whipping cream for a flufffier frosting see the Variation in the notes.
- 1 4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups 35% cream, whipped
Instructions
- Preheat oven according to cake mix instructions.
- Melt butter for topping in a non-stick saucepan over medium/low heat. Add honey and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add vanilla and almond slices. Allow to cool.
- Line 2 - 8" round cake pans or 1 - 10" spring form pan with parchment paper. Prepare cake mix according to instructions.
- Pour cake batter into your cake pan(s). Sprinkle top of 1 pan with a tablespoon of flour or so. Gently pour/spread honey almond topping over top of 1 pan.
- Bake according to manufacturers instructions.
- Remove cake from oven when toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool about 20 minutes. If using 1 pan, remove cake from pan and slice horizontally in half. If using 2 pans remove bottom of cake from pan and remove parchment paper. Transfer bottom cake to serving platter.
- To prepare the filling beat whipping cream until it forms stiff. Beat in pudding mix and continue beating until it is stiff.
- Spread half the filling over the bottom layer of the cake. Position the top layer with the almond topping side up over the bottom layer. With a spatula spread the remaining pudding mix around the sides to completely cover. Leave the almond filling exposed for top of cake. Alternatively, you can use all the icing in the filling and leave the sides and top bare. This is the traditional presentation.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stacy
I was confused about the flour on the top of batter and honey mixture on top of one pan. My honey and almonds sunk during baking.
thewineloverskitchen
Hi Stacy! I updated the ingredients/instructions to try to be more clear. Sprinkling some flour lightly over the batter of the top layer before spreading the honey and almonds is supposed to help stop them from sinking. Mine soaked in a bit but you can see from the picture that most stayed on top. I hope it was still good!
Angie
Or is it Half & Half ???
thewineloverskitchen
Hi Angie. It is Half and Half.
Angie
Your cake sounds so good...but on the filling you call for 10% Cream....does this mean...Heavy Whipping Cream ??? Thanks ?
Sharon
I made this for a birthday and the whole family gave it 2 thumbs up. I would definitely make this again.
Chris dunlap
My family has been looking for the recipe our mom had she got it from a old neighbor she called it poor man bee sting cake it was like a sponge cake no filling no nuts looked almost. Like a lemon bar type top had pores honey on top they said it had farmers cheese in it any idea?
thewineloverskitchen
I checked with a few family members and they don't recognize that version. I will check a few old cookbooks and let you know if I find anything!