Daring Bakers: Battenberg Cake!

Mandy of What the Fruitcake?! came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry's techniques and recipes to allow us to create this unique little cake with ease.

Although I am posting this a few days late, I was so excited to finally be back in the kitchen participating in this months Daring Bakers' Challenge (since I have been slacking a bit lately)! Once I saw that the challenge was the Battenberg Cake, I could not wait to begin baking and sink my teeth into the delicious, spongey, cake.  Originally invented by chefs in the British Royal household, the Battenberg is a great way to celebrate the Queen's jubilee and summer olympics happening in London!

Battenberg Cake

Ingredients:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) 175gm / 6 oz Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes
¾ cup / 175gm / 6 oz Caster Sugar
1¼ cups / 175gm / 6 oz Self-Raising Flour (***see end of doc on how to make your own)
3 Large Eggs, room temp
½ cup / 65gm/ 2 1/3 oz Ground Almonds (Can be substituted with ground rice)
3/4 tsp / 3½ gm Baking Powder
½ tsp / 2½ ml Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp (1¼ ml) Almond ExtractRed Food Colouring, paste, liquid or gel 


To Finish:
1/3 cup (80 ml) 100gm /3 ½ oz Apricot Jam (I used raspberry) 
1 cup / 225gm / 8 oz Marzipan, natural or yellow (or fondant) 


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8x8 square baking tin. Line the pan with parchment paper and create a divide down the middle of the pan using tinfoil (or a divider if you have one).  

(Photo courtesy of Mandy at What the Fruitcake?!)

In a bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, then, add in all of the wet ingredients until everything is combined and the batter is smooth. 


Divide the batter in half and place one half of the batter into one side of the baking pan.  Take the other half of the batter and add in a few drops of red food coloring to make the batter pink.  Once the batter is pink, scoop that into the other half of the baking pan. 


Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Once finished, let the cake cool completely before turning it out of the pan and placing on a wire rack. 


Even out the sponge cakes by trimming the top and sides of the cake, and cut each sponge in half length-wise so that you have four strips of cake. I did not line my strips up straight enough so they were off-centered a bit, but this was actually more difficult to do than I thought it would be! 

(Photo courtesy of Mandy at What the Fruitcake?!)

Gently heat the apricot jam and pass through a sieve (please note, I used raspberry).  Spread the warm jam evenly over the strips of cake so that they all stick together to hold the checkered pattern. Set aside. 


Dust a large surface with powdered sugar and roll out your marzipan or fondant (I had fondant so that is what I used).  Take your cake and place it on the marzipan jam side down so that you can spread jam on the remaining side.  Roll the cake up in the marzipan until completely covered.  Trim off the access marzipan and seal the seam and place it on the bottom so that it is not visible. Neaten the ends of the cake by trimming off a little slice from each end, revealing the checkered pattern. 

This cake can be eaten at any time, but I find it is best served with coffee!! Enjoy!

If you are interested in trying out variations of this cake, try this recipe below:

Coffee and Walnut Battenberg:

Servings: +- 8

Ingredients
¾ cup (1½ sticks) 175gm / 6 oz Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes
¾ cup / 175gm / 6 oz Caster Sugar
1¼ cups / 175gm / 6 oz Self-Raising Flour (***see end of doc on how to make your own)
3 Large Eggs, room temp
½ cup / 65gm / 2 1/3 oz Ground Almonds (Can be substituted with ground rice)
3/4 tsp / 3½ gm Baking Powder
3 tsp (15 ml) Milk
½ tsp (2½ ml) Vanilla Extract
1½ tsp (7½ ml) 7 gm Instant Coffee Powder or Granules
3 Tbsp / 25gm / 1 oz Walnuts, roughly chopped

To Finish
½ cup (1 stick) 115gm /4 oz Unsalted Butter
2 cups / 225gm /8 oz Powdered (Icing/Confectioners') Sugar
½ tsp / 2 gm Instant Coffee
1½ tsp (7½ ml) Milk or Cream
1 cup / 225gm /8 oz Marzipan, natural or yellow

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/160°C Fan Assisted/Gas Mark 4
2. Grease an 8”/20cm square baking tin with butter
3. Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil)
- Tip: See photos or watch video above for detailed instructions
4. OR Prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring
5. Whisk together dry ingredients (except walnuts and coffee) and combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl (except vanilla and milk) and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth
6. Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the vanilla, 1½ teaspoons milk and chopped walnuts
7. Spoon the walnut mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin
8. Dissolve the coffee in the remaining 1½ teaspoon milk and add to the remaining batter, stir until just combined
9. Spoon the coffee batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin
10. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner
11. Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a
toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away from the sides of the pan)
12. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack
13. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife
14. Cut each sponge in half lengthways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge
15. Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible
16. Combine the buttercream ingredients together and mix until combined
17. Spread a thin layer of buttercream onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern (one yellow next to one pink. On top of that, one pink next to one yellow)
- Tip: See photos for detailed instructions
18. Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar then roll the marzipan in an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and long enough to completely wrap the cake
19. Spread the top of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream
20. Place the cake on the marzipan, buttercream side down
21. Spread buttercream onto the remaining three sides
22. Press the marzipan around the cake, making sure the join is either neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned over
23. Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top corners with your fingers to decorate
24. Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess marzipan by trimming off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern


Thank you again, Mandy!

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