This unique cake was apparently named after the marriage of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884. The first Battenberg cake thus made for royalty had the traditional almond flavoring, ground almonds and yellow and pink squares.
Battenberg Cake is fun to make and very appealing to the eye. You can make this cake look pretty and elegant using your creativity. You may use your favorite colors and flavors in the cake batter and also in the marzipan as well as in the sugar paste (fondant). Keeping colors pale or deep is a matter of personal choice. Apricot jam is essentially used to sandwich the colored squares of cake and glue them securely together but you can use your favorite jam, jelly, butter cream or lemon curd if you so like.
I have made this cake many a time for a special occasion and all of us have thoroughly enjoyed it. Easter being just around the corner, I thought it would be really very festive and colorful to make this moist, flavorful and delicious Battenberg Cake. Every slice of the Battenberg Cake is a sheer delight revealing its gorgeous pattern and beautiful colors. Give this soft, melt in the mouth cake a try and see for yourself. Enjoy! 😀
Here’s wishing all friends and visitors “A Very Happy & Blessed Easter.”
Ingredients:
- 175 gms. Self Raising Flour
- 175 gms. Castor Sugar
- 175 gms. Unsalted Butter @ room temperature
- 3 large Eggs @ room temperature
- 70 gms. ground Almonds
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 3/4 tsp. Vanilla Essence
- 3 tbsps. Cocoa Powder or to taste and as per the color you desire
- 3/4 tsp. Strawberry Essence
- Red Food Color (paste, gel or liquid) depending on the depth of color desired
For Covering the Cake:
- Your favorite Jam (I used Apricot Jam) approx. 150 gms.
- 250 gms. Marzipan or depending on how thick you want your coating to be
- 250 gms. Sugar paste (Fondant)
Procedure:
Grease an 8 inch square baking tin with butter.
Line the tin with parchment or butter paper. Then create a divider in the tin with a thick cardboard covered with foil and then with the parchment.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
In another bowl, beat the butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time to incorporate in the soft mixture until well combined.
Add the whisked dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet mixture until the batter is combined well and smooth.
Try and divide the cake batter equally into two bowls.
To one bowl add the vanilla essence and cocoa powder.
Mix together to form a well mixed smooth batter.
To the other bowl add the strawberry essence and red color. Mix to combine well and distribute the color evenly. First add color sparingly and adjust according to the required shade of color.
Spoon the cocoa batter into one side of the baking tin and the pink batter on the other side.
Use a spatula to smooth the batter to distribute evenly. Tap the baking tin lightly on the kitchen counter to release air bubbles if any.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 30 minutes or an inserted wooden skewer should come out clean.
The cake should be well risen, spring back when lightly touched with your fingers and shrink away from the sides of your baking tin.
Let the cake cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Assembling the Battenberg Cake:
When the cake is cooled completely, stack the cakes one on top of the other and trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife. Brush away the crumbs and neaten the strips.
Then cut the cake portions lengthwise in half, making four equal parts.
Warm the jam in a small saucepan. Pass through a small sieve to get smooth jam.
Alternate the colors in a checkered pattern as shown in the picture and sandwich them together; brushing them with warm jam. Make sure the pieces stick together.
Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar.
Roll out the marzipan to a rectangle wide and long enough to wrap around the entire cake. Trim the edges neatly.
Brush the outside of the cake with a fairly thick coat of jam…
First brush the jam on the entire top surface of the cake and gently place the cake jam side down on the marzipan.
Brush the remaining 3 sides of the cake and wrap the paste around the cake to cover completely.
Gently press the marzipan to ensure that it is firm around the cake and holds it securely like a log.
Dampen the edges lightly to form a neat join at the corners of the cake.
Similarly, follow the same procedure if using sugar paste on top of the marzipan.
Pinch the top and bottom edges of the paste into a pattern with crimpers, fork or smoothen with your fingers.
Carefully flip the prepared cake log so that the seam is under the cake.
Score the top of the cake with the blunt side of a knife in a crisscross pattern or use your creativity to create fabulous designs.
Neaten the ends of the cake if needed to remove any excess marzipan and sugar paste (fondant) if using.
You may use excess marzipan and sugar paste (fondant) if any to create decorations and further beautify the cake or store in the fridge wrapped in cling film for later use.
Your Battenberg Cake is ready!
Cut into sufficiently thick slices to reveal the Battenberg pattern and serve with joy! 😀
