Bee String Cake, Bavarian Plum Cake, Swabian Apple Tart, Blake Forest Cake

Bee Sting Cake: Bee sting cake is a yeast cake topped with a crispy almond-caramel layer and filled with vanilla or whipped cream. It's considered a classic of southern German cuisine. I make it as a round cake, but it's often baked on a sheet pan.

For the yeast dough:

• 150 ml lukewarm milk
• 60 g butter
• 300 g all-purpose flour (type 405)
• 50 g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• ½ cube fresh yeast (approx. 21 g)

For the filling:

• 400 ml milk
• 1 packet vanilla pudding powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 2 packets cream stabilizer

For the almond topping:

• 100 g butter
• 80 g sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100 g slivered almonds​

Preparation

For the yeast dough, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk and knead with flour, sugar, butter, egg, and salt to form a smooth dough. (Use the dough hooks of a hand mixer or food processor.) Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

For the almond topping, bring butter, sugar, honey, and milk to a boil in a saucepan, stir in the almonds, and let cool briefly.

Place the dough in the springform pan and spread the almond mixture on top. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Then let cool completely.

For the cream pudding filling, prepare the vanilla pudding according to the package instructions and let cool. Whip the cream with the cream stabilizer and fold it into the cooled pudding. I don't add any extra sugar.

Hold the completely cooled cake horizontally in half. Spread the filling on the bottom half and place the top half (with almonds) on top. (A little tip: cut the cake into individual slices while it's still on the top half.) Refrigerate the bee sting cake for 1 hour.

Swabian apple tart is a classic, simple apple cake from southern Germany – especially popular in Swabia. The name "tart" comes from the fact that the apple slices "slip" into the batter – meaning they are gently pressed in.

Ingredients (28 cm springform pan)

For the batter:

• 150 g butter (softened)
• 150 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 3 eggs
• 250 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100 ml milk or cream

For the topping:

• 4–5 tart apples
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Optional:

• Flaked almonds or sliced ​​hazelnuts
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation: First, preheat the oven (200°C/390°F conventional, 180°C/350°F fan-forced). Then, prepare the batter: Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar, then gradually beat in the eggs. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, and alternately stir in the milk until a smooth, thick batter forms. Pour the batter into a greased and floured springform pan and smooth the surface.

Peel, core, and quarter the apples, then make several fan-shaped cuts in each quarter (do not cut all the way through!). Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Press the apple quarters into the batter in a fan-like pattern (slip them in). Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and optionally, add flaked almonds.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Black Forest Cake: The queen of cakes for a South German. Today it is considered the classic German cake and is known all over the world. The essential components are chocolate sponge layers, a cherry filling, whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate shavings for decoration.

Ingredients for the chocolate sponge cake:

• 6 eggs
• 150 g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 200 g all-purpose flour (type 405)
• 50 g cornstarch
• 50 g cocoa powder (baking cocoa)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• some butter for the pan​

For the filling:

• 1 jar of sour cherries (drained weight: 350g)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 800 ml heavy cream
• 4 packets of cream stabilizer
• 3 packets of vanilla sugar
• 50 ml kirsch (optional, as it contains alcohol)

For garnish:

• 100 g dark chocolate shavings
• Glacé cherries (Amarena cherries)​

Preparation: The biggest challenge is the sponge cake base; I've had it collapse before. Many recipes recommend separating the eggs and processing them separately. I don't separate them, and the sponge cake still turns out perfectly.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer (using the whisk attachment) on high speed for 1 minute until frothy. Mix the sugar with the packet of vanilla sugar and baking powder, sprinkle it into the egg mixture, and beat for another 2 minutes. Briefly stir in the sifted flour and cocoa powder on the lowest speed. Pour the batter into a buttered springform pan and gently shake the pan. Place the pan on the oven rack. Bake in a preheated oven (160°C/325°F convection) for approximately 30-35 minutes. Let the sponge cake cool completely and then slice it horizontally into three layers.

Drain the sour cherries in a sieve, reserving the juice. Mix a little of the cherry juice with the cornstarch, bring the remaining juice to a boil, and add the juice-cornstarch mixture. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cherries. Let the mixture cool.

Whip the cream with the cream stabilizer and vanilla sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside a little cream; it will be needed for the cake's rosettes. Soak the bottom cake layer with half of the kirsch (it contains alcohol!), spread the kirsch sauce evenly, and then spread about 1 cm of the cream mixture over the cherry mixture. Carefully place the second cake layer on top and soak it with the remaining kirsch. Spread a layer of cream on top and then place the final cake layer on top. Cover the entire cake with cream. Pipe 12 rosettes onto the cake using a piping bag. Decorate with grated chocolate and cherries. Refrigerate the cake and let it chill for 1.5 hours.