If you go to any bakery in Australia it is highly likely that there will be a bee sting cake in their cabinet just begging you to take it home and demolish it. Bee stings are a favourite treat here and something that we have had for morning and afternoon teas when we had company over, for as long as I can remember and they never last long! That wonderful combination of the creamy custard and the caramelized nuttiness of the almond topping surrounded by a cake that is more like a bun in its texture. In one word…. HEAVEN!

It was with some trepidation that I decided to attempt this for mother’s day dinner with my parents in law, however I shouldn’t have worried because it turned out awesome. There’s quite a few steps for this cake though and you have to wait for it to cool before putting in the filling, so allow yourself a few hours to complete it.

Now I just have to ignore the leftovers of this cake that are calling to me from the fridge… eat me… eat me…. EAT ME!!!

The first step is to make the cake. The process is just like a normal cake except that the batter will end up a bit thicker. Cream the butter and sugar then add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Next add the sifted flour and baking powder in small amounts with a little milk added between each addition of flour. The batter should be a bit stiff but still “spreadable”.

Put the mixture into a greased loose bottom tin. Make sure you grease the tin well as the caramel sticks really good!

The topping is made by melting the butter, honey and sugar and then adding milk and the flaked almonds. You don’t need to get any colour on the almonds or caramel in this step as that will happen in the oven. Spread the almond mixture over the cake batter and put in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and centre is cooked through (check by inserting a skewer and if it comes out without batter on it, it is done).

Once the cake has come out of the oven, let it sit for a couple minutes so that the caramel begins to set, then remove it from the tin. You don’t want to let it sit for too long or the caramel will stick to the tin. I let mine sit for about 10 minutes and that was too long… it was very hard to get out.

To make the custard you will want to heat some milk (either in the microwave or on the stovetop) and then set it aside. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together till pale in a saucepan, then add the cornflour and salt and stir well. Start to add the milk slowly and whisk well. Once all the milk is added, place on the heat and stir continuously until the custard thickens. It will happen quite quickly so keep an eye on it. Remove it from the heat and stir the vanilla through it. Cool the custard in the fridge.  I totally forgot to take photos of this step… it all happened too quickly.

Once the cake and custard has cooled, slice the cake to create two layers. Then spread the custard over the base. If the custard has set too firmly during the cooling stage you can whisk in a little more milk (cold is fine) until it becomes workable again. Then carefully place the top back on.

Oh and the cake won… I ate it, and it was good!