Battenburg Cake
A Sweet Slice of Nostalgia: Battenberg Cake
Delight your taste buds with the timeless charm of a Battenberg cake! This classic British bake features soft almond sponge in a delightful pink-and-yellow checkerboard design, wrapped in a blanket of smooth marzipan. With its pretty pattern and subtle almond flavor, it’s perfect for teatime, celebrations, or simply adding a touch of elegance to your table. Easy to make and even more enjoyable to eat, this recipe is a must-try for any baking enthusiast!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 350g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 350g golden caster sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 100g ground almonds
- 280g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- Pink gel food colouring
To Decorate:
- 200g apricot jam
- 2 blocks white marzipan
- gel colours of your choice for pattern
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin:
Preheat your oven to 160°C . Grease 2 x 20cm square tin and line it with baking parchment.
2. Make the cake batter:
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in the almond extract.
- Gently fold in the ground almonds, self-raising flour, and baking powder until just combined.
3. Color the batter:
Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. Add the pink food coloring to one bowl and mix until you achieve a pretty pale pink color.
4. Bake the cakes:
Pour the 2 cake batter into the prepared tins. Bake for around 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Trim and assemble the cake:
- Once the cakes are cool, trim the edges to create neat rectangles. Use a ruler to help you cut 4 slices each the same width as the sponge height. This recipe makes 2 battenburg cakes. 4 yellow strips and pink strips. You will have scraps to enjoy.
- Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan or microwave, then strain to remove any lumps.
6. Prepare the marzipan:
Dust a clean surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan into a rectangle large enough to wrap around the cake (approx 20cm wide). Lay on a parchment paper ready to add pattern or wrapping.
Optional Pattern: Take a small piece of marzipan and colour in the desired pattern. Roll out flat and cut shapes using mini fondant cutters and lay the pattern on the rolled out marzipan. Lay a sheet of parchment paper and flatten pattern with the rolling pin.
7. Assemble and wrap the cake:
Brush the non pattern side of the marzipan with apricot jam. Place yellow strip of cake on the marzipan and brush jam on all sides, next place pink strip and brush jam on all sides. Then place the opposite-colored strips on top to create a checkerboard pattern. Give a final brush of jam all over and carefully using the parchment paper to help wrap the patterned marzipan around the cake, pressing to seal the edges. Trim any excess marzipan for a neat finish.
Slice into portions and enjoy!
Perfect for teatime, this classic Battenberg cake offers a delightful checkerboard surprise in every slice.