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–+ servings

Honey Almond Brioche Cake | Bee Sting Cake

5 from 1 vote
Light and fluffy brioche, filled with a cinnamon vanilla cream, and topped with a crunchy honey almond topping.
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Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 50 minutes
Servings8 slices
Calories413 kcal

Ingredients 

Brioche Cake

  • 80 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
  • 1 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 160 g bread flour (1 ⅓ c.)
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.) room temperature

Honey Almond Topping

  • 80 g honey (¼ c.)
  • 80 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 2 ½ tbsp.)
  • 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
  • ⅛ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 115 g sliced almonds (1 ⅓ c.)

Cinnamon Vanilla Cream Filling

Instructions 

Brioche Cake

  • In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam. (~5 minutes)
  • While waiting, add the flour, salt, egg, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. When the yeast mixture begins to foam, add it in to the rest of the ingredients.
  • Knead the mixture on medium-high speed for ~10-20 minutes. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticking to the sides or bottom of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.*
  • Once the dough is done kneading, shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm area to rise until doubled in size (~1 hr.)**
  • Once the dough has doubled in size (or after taking it out of the fridge after rising overnight), lightly punch it down to remove excess air.
  • Butter an 8" cake pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to easily lift the cake out of the pan after it's done baking.
  • Use your hands to push the dough down into the pan so that the dough is an 8" circle on the bottom of the pan. If the dough keeps snapping back, leave it to rest for 5 minutes before trying again. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size (~30-45 min.)
  • Once the dough has almost completely doubled in size, start with your topping and preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Honey Almond Topping

  • In a small saucepan, add the honey, sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Stir the mixture over medium heat and let it come to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and immediately stir in the almonds. Immediately pour the mixture over the brioche, working fast to spread it evenly along the top.
  • Bake the bee sting cake at 350°F / 175°C for 15-20 minutes. Use a thermometer to check when the cake is done. (It should read 190°F / 88°C.)

Cinnamon Vanilla Cream Filling

  • Add the instant pudding, heavy cream, milk, and cinnamon to a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes, then set it in the fridge until you are ready to fill the cake.
  • Slice the cake - you are going to want to do this while it is still slightly warm! If the cake has cooled to room temperature, the topping is going to be hard to cut through. While the cake is still warm (but not too hot, please don't burn yourself!), use a serrated knife to slice the cake in half horizontally. Then, saw back and forth through the cake, cutting it into 8 equal slices.
  • Distribute the filling amongst each slice, using a piping back or just a knife. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*Take a small piece of dough and stretch it gently as far as you can. If it tears super easily, keep kneading. If it’s able to spread to the point where it’s super thin and you can see light through it, it has passed the windowpane test and is good to go!
**At this point you could leave the dough in the fridge overnight, and proceed with the rest of the recipe the next day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 8gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 197mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 576IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 1mg