Brioche Bee Sting Cake (nid D’abeilles – Bienenstich)

Butter a 2 by 10-inch pan and line the bottom with a piece of
parchment or buttered waxed paper.

To form the dough, fold it over on itself several times on a lightly
floured surface and form it into a sphere, rounding it so that the
outside skin of the dough is smooth and seamless. Cover the rounded
piece of dough with a towel and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then
press dough evenly into the prepared pan and pierce it at 1-inch
intervals with a fork. Cover the pan with a towel and allow the dough
to rise until it is half again larger in bulk, about 30 minutes.
Uncover the dough and refrigerate it for 20 minutes. Immediately
after you refrigerate the dough, set a rack at the middle level of
the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. To make the topping, combine all
ingredients except the almonds in a small saucepan. Place the pan
over low heat and bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly.
Stir in the almonds, then remove the pan from the heat, and pour the
topping into a buttered, heat proof bowl and cool it to room
temperature.

After the dough has chilled for 20 minutes, remove it from the
refrigerator and, using the back of a spoon or a small offset metal
spatula, spread the almond topping evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes,
until the topping is well caramelized and the dough is firm and baked
through. Remove the pan to a rack to cool for ten minutes, then
loosen the topping from the sides of the pan by inserting the point
of a small sharp knife 1/2-inch down between the topping and the side
of the pan. Unmold the cake, remove the paper and cool it on a rack.

While the cake is baking prepare the filling: Combine 3/4 cup of the
milk and the sugar in a non-reactive saucepan over low heat. Whisk
once to mix in the sugar and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the
remaining milk and cornstarch thoroughly in a small mixing bowl and
whisk in the yolks. Whisk in the boiled milk in a stream and return
the mixture to the pan. Replace pan over low heat and whisk
constantly as the cream thickens and comes to a boil, about 2
minutes. Allow to boil, whisking 30 seconds. Remove from heat; whisk
in vanilla. Divide the butter into 8 pieces and whisk into the cream
one piece at a time. Pour the cream into a bowl, scrape sides of the
bowl clean with a rubber spatula and press plastic wrap against the
surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate
cream until cold. Remove the cream from the refrigerator and whisk by
hand until smooth, about 10 seconds.

To fill the cake, slice it in half horizontally using a sharp serrated
knife. Place the bottom layer on a platter and, using a small offset
metal spatula, spread evenly with the filling. Cut the top of the
cake into 10 or 12 wedges and rearrange them on top of the cake,
fitting them closely together. (Pre-cutting the top eliminates
pressure when the cake is cut and prevents the filling from oozing
out).

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