Battenberg Cake
This is a delicious British cake best served with tea. I have only ever tasted store-bought versions in the UK, but this recipe will help me make my own here in Canada.
This is a delicious British cake best served with tea. I have only ever tasted store-bought versions in the UK, but this recipe will help me make my own here in Canada.
- 150 grams unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing
- 150 grams white fine or superfine sugar
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 0.25 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds of a vanilla pod
- 150 grams self-raising flour
- 30 milliliters whole milk
- 1 drop pink or red food colouring
- 75 grams apricot jam (or the jam of your choice)
- 1 drop water or more if needed
- 200 grams ready-rolled marzipan
- Carbohydrate 70.5771375 g
- Cholesterol 265.25 mg
- Fat 25.757605 g
- Fiber 1.38750002533197 g
- Protein 11.535105 g
- Saturated Fat 14.4697675 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (142g)
- Sodium 712.76575 mg
- Sugar 69.189637474668 g
- Trans Fat 2.43681300000001 g
- Calories 555 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and milk together until smooth. Pour half of the cake mixture into another bowl. Add a drop of pink food colouring to one of the bowls and stir well.
- Grease a 15cm/6in square cake tin. Place a thick layer of aluminium foil down the middle, covering the bottom, to divide the tin into two equal parts. Spoon the pink cake mixture into one side of the tin and the plain mixture into the other side.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Trim the cakes to the same size, then cut them both in half lengthways.
- In a pan, heat the jam with a little water until it becomes liquid.
- Place one of the pink pieces of cake onto a work surface and brush one side with jam.
- Lay a yellow piece next to it on the jam side and push gently together.
- Brush the tops of both pieces with more jam. Top the yellow piece of cake with a pink piece and vice versa. Brush the outside edges of the cake with more jam.
- Cut the rolled marzipan so that it's just slightly longer than the cake. Wrap it around the cake, brushing the edges with a little jam to seal them together.
- Trim off the excess marzipan at the ends and place the cake onto a plate, seal-side down.
- Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour, then slice and serve.
Almond flour or ground almonds supply the distinct structural and aromatic foundation for marzipan, dictating the signature flavor profile that coats the exterior of this iconic British bake. Incorporating ready-rolled marzipan simplifies the finishing stage significantly, bypassing the traditional labor of grinding blanched almonds and confectioners sugar with egg whites from scratch. Ensuring the marzipan layer is measured precisely to match the length of the assembled sponge logs prevents stretching or tearing during the final wrapping process.
Serving this confection alongside a strong brew of black tea, such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast, provides the ideal tannic astringency to balance the rich sweetness of the jam and marzipan. Fresh berries or a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream can also sit on the plate to cut through the dense sugar content of the cake. Pouring hot water into the brewing vessel just off a boil at 200°F ensures the tea extracts cleanly without scorching the leaves, maintaining a clean palate between bites.
Managing workflow efficiently requires dividing the 6-inch square cake tin with a heavy-duty aluminium foil barrier folded multiple times for stability, allowing both the pink and plain batters to bake simultaneously without bleeding into one another. The oven should be preheated accurately to 400°F before the pans go in, and baking generally takes between 25 and 30 minutes until the center springs back gently under fingertip pressure. Trimming the cooled sponges with a serrated bread knife creates clean, ninety-degree angles necessary for the alternating checkerboard pattern to align properly.
Allowing the assembled cake to chill in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes before slicing firms the apricot jam and sets the marzipan seams, yielding sharp, distinct squares on the plate. Storing the remainder in an airtight container at room temperature preserves the moisture of the crumb for up to three days without drying out the almond paste. This systematic approach transforms simple pantry staples into a striking confection worthy of traditional afternoon tea spreads.
