Battenberg Cake Recipe
Looking for a visually stunning and delicious cake? Look no further than the Battenberg Cake Recipe! This traditional British cake features a checkered sponge cake with apricot jam filling and a marzipan coat.
Ingredients
For almond sponge
- 175g very soft butter
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 140g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 3 medium eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
For pink sponge
- 1 x ingredients for almond sponge
- pink food colouring, we used ½ tsp
- Squires rose food paste
To assemble
- 200g apricot jam
- 2 x blocks white marzipan
- little icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and lining a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. The almond sponge is made by combining butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl. Use an electric whisk to create a smooth mixture. Spread this mixture evenly in the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack while you prepare the second sponge.
- To create the pink sponge, follow the previous lining instructions. Combine all ingredients as previously mentioned, excluding almond extract. Gently fold in pink food coloring, transfer the mixture to the tin, and bake as directed. Allow it to cool.
- Start by heating the jam until it becomes runny, then strain it. Begin by trimming two opposite edges of the almond sponge, and then ensure a thorough trim on a third edge. Now, measure the height of the sponge, and, starting from the well-trimmed edge, use a ruler to guide your cutting of 4 slices, each matching the sponge's height. Any leftover sponge can be discarded or enjoyed. Repeat this process with the pink cake.
- Start with 2 almond and 2 pink slices, ensuring they're the same length. Roll out a marzipan block on a surface dusted with icing sugar, expanding it to a 20cm width and a thickness of about 0.5cm. Apply apricot jam generously, then arrange a pink and an almond slice side by side at one end of the marzipan, using jam to secure them together, and leaving a 4cm clear marzipan section at the other end. Add more jam on top of the slices, then create a sandwich by placing the remaining 2 slices on top, alternating colors to create a checkerboard pattern. Finally, trim the marzipan to match the length of the cakes.
- Gently lift the marzipan, using your hands, and delicately apply it to the cake's surface. Remember to leave a small fold along the bottom edge before affixing it to the first side. Trim the opposite side to align with the fold's size, then use your fingers or a fork's prongs to create decorative crimps. If desired, use the prongs of a fork to mark out 10 slices.
- Craft a second Battenberg, ensuring it's stored airtight for up to 3 days or frozen for a month.
