Today is Canada Day, where we celebrate my home country. I wanted to make something delicious that recognizes some of our classic flavours, and maple and walnut were the first things that came to mind.

This cake is inspired by the German bee-sting cake, made with honey and almonds. We have bees here, but a bee that wants to sting you will need to get in line behind wasps, black flies, and the dreaded mosquito (which is practically our national bird). Canada has a lot to offer including a wide range of bugs that wish you harm. I guess what I’m saying is, enjoy this wasp-sting cake and Happy Canada Day!

There are three elements to this cake. First, the sponge is two rounds of yeasted dough. This is barely sweet at all but don’t worry, they are each covered with crunchy maple walnut topping before they are baked. The cake is then filled with a creamy vanilla filling. For that, I’ve done a gelatin-free version of “diplomat cream” (for the uninitiated, get ready for the lightest vanilla custard you have ever met). Any leftover filling will happily sit on top of pancakes, waffles, or ice cream, fruit, ice cream, a spoon, whatever.

Makes: 1 8 inch cake (enough for about 10-12 people)

Part 1: Cake and Topping

Ingredients:

• Cake ingredients:
  • 2 1/4 cups AP Flour
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp quick-rise yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup water, room temperature
• Topping ingredients:
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup (only the real stuff, please!)
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • salt (pinch / 1/8 tsp)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Prepare two 8″ cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment.
2. Put all of the cake ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Yes, really, it is that simple. Don’t worry, there are still some complicated parts later.
3. Using the dough hook (or your hands) knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and set aside somewhere warm until roughly doubled in size (about 1 hour).
5. Separate the dough into two equal balls.
6. Place each ball of dough in a cake pan and gently stretch it out until it comes to all the edges and is as even as you can make it.
7. Cover and set aside for another 45 minutes.
8. In the meantime, prepare the filling:
   • In a sauce pan, melt butter (6 tbsp)
   • Add sugar (1/3 cup), syrup 3 tbsp, cream (2 tbsp) and salt (pinch / 1/8 tsp)
   • Bring to a boil and simmer until just beginning to darken
   • Let cool for a few minutes, then add chopped walnuts (1 1/2 cups)
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f
10. Once the cakes have risen again a bit and are looking puffy, spread them each with the slightly cooled topping
11. Bake for 25 minutes, until topping is golden brown
12. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from pans, let cool fully before adding filling

Part 2: Gelatin-Free Diplomat Cream

This is essentially part custard, part whipped cream. It is actually much easier if you make the custard part a day ahead so that it has plenty of time to cool. It is also amazing and you will probably never want to eat anything else. Ever.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp AP flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Whisk together the egg yolks (2), egg, flour (1 tbsp) and salt (pinch) in a mixing bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat milk until it starts to steam but don’t let it boil.
3. In a ribbon, slowly pour the heated milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly (see note).
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to heat on medium until it begins to thicken – taste it to make sure it doesn’t taste flour-y, if it does give it a bit more time.
5. Remove from heat and add vanilla (1/2 tsp) and butter (1 tbsp)
6. Cover tightly and let cool in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once the custard has cooled it will probably be quite thick, this is ok.
7. Whip the whipping cream (3/4 cup) until stiff, remove from mixing bowl and set aside.
8. Whip the cooled custard to loosen it up.
9. Add the whipped cream to the custard and quickly whip together, don’t overmix or it will go flat.
10. Lick the beater.

Assembly:

This cake assembles quickly and easily, no need to get out the cake decorating set if you don’t want to. Just spread the diplomat cream filling over one layer then place the second layer on top.

Notes:

• The complicated process of pouring hot milk in a ribbon into the egg mixture while whisking constantly is called “tempering” the eggs, and the idea is to prevent the eggs from turning into a clumpy scrambled mess. Technically you need 3 hands to do this, one to pour, one to steady the bowl, and one to whisk. It is doable on your own but, like many things, better with a buddy, eh?