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    Battenberg Cake

    05/04/2013 by thebakingexplorer 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Despite it's German name, a Battenberg Cake is one of the most British cakes there is! It was first made back in 1884, althought it had more squares to it at first, and has since been simplified to the four squares we all recognise. The different coloured cake sponges are made at the same time, using a clever baking paper folding trick. Then they're brushed with apricot jam and wrapped in marzipan. It's a perfect cake to enjoy with a cup of tea!

    Battenberg Cake

    How to make Battenberg Cake

    First, line a 8" square baking tin with foil and baking paper. The foil helps to strengthen the middle section.

    Mix the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix them in.

    Next mix in self raising flour, then split the mixture in half and colour one half with pink food colouring. Put the two cake batters into separate sides of the cake tin.

    Once the cake is baked, cut it up into four equal rectangles.

    Roll out the marzipan and brush it with apricot jam, assemble the cake and wrap it in the marzipan.

    Battenberg Cake

    Tips for making a Battenberg Cake:

    • Embrace using a ruler when making this cake, having all the sponges measure the same really does pay off in the final result!
    • You may think sieving the jam is a unecessary step, but again, it really is worth having lovely smooth jam for the final effect.
    • You can freeze the Battenberg Cake if you wrap it well, for up to 3 months. The marzipan will be a bit sticky when you defrost it.
    • I use Pro Gel food colouring for the pink side of the cake.
    • Golden marzipan is traditional for a Battenberg, but you can also use natural marzipan too, or even homemade if you like!
    Battenberg Cake

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • 8" Square tin
    • Mixing bowls
    • Cooling rack
    • Kitchen scales
    • Electric hand mixer
    • Pink food colouring
    • Silicone mat
    • Rolling pin
    • Silicone Brush
    • Sieve

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Battenberg Cake

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    Battenberg Cake

    Battenberg Cake

    Traditional British checkboard cake with apricot jam and marzipan
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Cake
    Prep Time: 45 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 10
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the cake

    • 200 g Butter or baking spread
    • 200 g Caster sugar
    • 4 Eggs large
    • 200 g Self raising flour
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • Pink food colouring

    For the filling and decoration

    • 175 g Apricot jam
    • 450 g Golden marzipan
    • Icing sugar for dusting
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 150C Fan/165C/325F/Gas Mark 3
    • Line an 8" square tin with a layer of foil covered with a layer of baking paper. Fold a crease about 3" tall in the centre of the paper to stop the two sponges from joining up
    • Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer for until fluffy. You can also mix by hand, but an electric mixer will give the best results
    • Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk until fully incorporated, again using an electric mixer
    • Gently whisk in the self raising flour using a hand whisk, and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore
    • Split the batter in half and gently stir pink food colouring into one half of the batter until a light pink shade is achieved
    • Pour the pink batter into one half of the tin, and the uncoloured batter into the other half
    • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave it to fully cool either in the tin or remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack
    • Trim the golden crusts off both colours of cake and then cut into long rectangular strips. Use a ruler for accuracy
    • Warm the apricot jam for 30 seconds in the microwave, then put it through a fine sieve
    • Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan onto it. Aim for a rectangle around 12" x 8" - it must be long enough to wrap around the cake
    • Brush the marzipan with the apricot jam, then assemble the cake in the centre of the marzipan in a checkerboard pattern, brushing apricot jam between each cake
    • Wrap the cake with the marzipan, let the marzipan overlap slightly and trim the rest off
    • Trim the edges of the marzipan too, and then flip the cake over so the seal is on the bottom
    • Use a cake decorating brush to brush off any icing sugar, then the cake is ready to serve!
    • Serve immediately, store any leftover in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days. The marzipan will go sticky after a day or so
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 637IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Cake recipes!

    « Things To Do With... Leftover Marzipan
    Biscoff Brownies »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Victoria Lee

      April 05, 2013 at 9:24 am

      5 stars
      Yum!!! This has been on my to do list for forever but never gotten round to it. It looks beautiful Kat, and so neat! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kat (The Baking Explorer)

        April 06, 2013 at 10:57 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    2. Sarah Barnes

      April 05, 2013 at 10:19 am

      5 stars
      Looks fab Kat. You should be VERY proud of yourself!

      Reply
      • Kat (The Baking Explorer)

        April 06, 2013 at 10:58 pm

        Thank you so much Sarah!

        Reply
    3. Stuart Vettese

      April 06, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      You have made this look so easy when it's not! I'm not a huge fan of marzipan, but I should try this with sugar fondant sometime!

      Reply
      • Kat (The Baking Explorer)

        April 06, 2013 at 10:58 pm

        Chocolate fondant would be delicious!

        Reply
    4. Rachel Cotterill

      April 17, 2013 at 4:23 pm

      I love battenberg and keep meaning to make one - yours looks lovely 🙂

      Reply
      • Kat (The Baking Explorer)

        April 18, 2013 at 9:27 pm

        Thanks Rachel, it's definitely worth giving it a go when you get a chance 🙂

        Reply
    5. Elizabeth

      April 23, 2013 at 7:26 am

      5 stars
      Looks lovely! The cake turned out a lovely shade of pink. Yes, it looks quite appetising!

      Reply
      • Kat (The Baking Explorer)

        April 23, 2013 at 11:16 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Mike (@bournemouth_baker)

      September 30, 2020 at 9:56 am

      5 stars
      I made this last week after getting inspiration from the Great British Bakeoff, and seeing Kat post it on her Instagram.

      The cake turned out perfect, and I would not only recommend this to anyone wanting to make a Battenberg, but I will be using it again myself.

      Thank you,
      Mike

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        September 30, 2020 at 5:12 pm

        Thank you so much Mike! Your battenberg looked superb!!

        Reply
    7. Beth Richards

      December 19, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Hi

      I've got inspiration from the Great British Bake off, I'm making Peter's gluten free chocolate and orange batten berg for my sister for Xmas but am Just wondering if you can freeze batten berg?

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 19, 2020 at 8:09 pm

        Hi Beth, that sounds lovely. You can freeze this Battenberg Cake if you wrap it well, for up to 3 months. The marzipan will be a bit sticky when you defrost it. I can't comment on other recipes unfortunately.

        Reply

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