Battenberg Cake

Name: Battenberg Cake
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 175 g Butter; 175 g Caster sugar; 140 g Self-raising flour; 50 g Ground almonds; 0.5 tsp Baking powder; 3 pcs Eggs; 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract; 0.25 tsp Almond extract; 175 g Butter; 175 g Caster sugar; 140 g Self-raising flour; 50 g Ground almonds; 0.5 tsp Baking powder; 3 pcs Eggs; 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract; 0.5 tsp Pink food colouring; 200 g Apricot jam; 1 kg Marzipan; to taste Icing sugar

An elegant British sponge cake featuring a checkered pattern made from vanilla and pink layers, wrapped in marzipan with apricot jam — a true culinary masterpiece for any festive table.

Ingredients

175 g Butter
175 g Caster sugar
140 g Self-raising flour
50 g Ground almonds
0.5 tsp Baking powder
3 pcs Eggs
0.5 tsp Vanilla extract
0.25 tsp Almond extract
175 g Butter
175 g Caster sugar
140 g Self-raising flour
50 g Ground almonds
0.5 tsp Baking powder
3 pcs Eggs
0.5 tsp Vanilla extract
0.5 tsp Pink food colouring
200 g Apricot jam
1 kg Marzipan
to taste Icing sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C with fan convection). Line the bottom and sides of a 20×20 cm square tin with baking parchment — it's easiest to arrange two strips of 20 cm length crosswise. For the vanilla sponge, place softened butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined. Transfer to the tin, smooth into the corners and bake for 25–30 minutes — a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Allow the sponge to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
While the first sponge cools, prepare the pink sponge. Line the tin again with baking parchment. Mix the same ingredients as for the vanilla sponge, but omit the almond extract. Carefully fold in the pink food colouring until evenly coloured throughout. Transfer the batter to the tin and bake in the same way for 25–30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Prepare the sponges for assembly. Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan until liquid, then pass through a sieve. Carefully trim two parallel edges from the vanilla sponge, then trim the third edge more generously to straighten it. Measure the height of the sponge — cut strips of this width. Cut 4 identical strips, working from the straight edge and using a ruler to guide you. The trimmings are yours to enjoy. Cut 4 strips from the pink sponge in exactly the same way. Trim all 8 strips to the same length.
On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out the marzipan to a sheet slightly wider than 20 cm and about 0.5 cm thick. Brush the marzipan with apricot jam. Place one pink and one vanilla strip side by side at one edge of the sheet — brush jam between them to bond them together. Leave 4 cm of marzipan free at the edge. Brush the top of the strips with jam and lay the remaining two strips on top, alternating colours — pink over vanilla and vice versa: this creates a checkered pattern. Trim the marzipan to the length of the cake.
Carefully lift the marzipan and wrap it around the cake, smoothing with your hands. Leave a small fold of marzipan along the bottom edge before pressing it against the side. Trim the opposite edge so it matches the size of the fold, then decorate the edges by pinching with your fingers or pressing with the tines of a fork. If desired, mark 10 portions on the top of the cake with a fork.
Assemble a second Battenberg cake using the same method. Store both cakes in an airtight container or wrap tightly in cling film — for up to 3 days at room temperature. The cake can also be frozen for up to one month.