Battenberg cake
HB-0182 · Hand-built original · British
Step by step, square by square, making your own version of this fancy favourite produces exceedingly good results
BritishBake, Snack, Dessert1 hr 10 minVegetarian
Main ingredient: egg
Pairs well with: toast, hash browns, fruit salad, bacon, avocado
Serving count not stated for this recipe, so quantities are shown as written.
Ingredients
- 6¼ oz butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 6¼ oz caster sugar, for the sponge
- Pinch of salt
- 6 oz plain flour
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- ¾ oz freeze-dried raspberries, ground to a powder
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp milk, as needed
- A few drops of almond essence
- 2¾ oz blanched almonds, finely ground
- About 7 oz raspberry jam, to coat
- 7 oz ground almonds, for the marzipan
- 3½ oz icing sugar, sifted, for the marzipan
- 3½ oz caster sugar, for the marzipan
- 1 egg, separated, for the marzipan
- 1 tbsp amaretto (or brandy, whisky or lemon juice)
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 in square tin and divide it down the middle with a foil-and-paper partition, lining both halves.
- Beat the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, then fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and ground blanched almonds, plus the almond essence and just enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency.
- Spoon half the batter into a second bowl and fold in the ground freeze-dried raspberries until evenly pink.
- Fill each half of the tin with one batter, level, and bake for 22–25 minutes until springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.
- Make the marzipan: mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and caster sugar. Stir in the egg yolk and amaretto, then add just enough lightly beaten egg white to bring it together into a firm, kneadable paste. Knead briefly until smooth, then wrap and rest while you assemble the cake.
- Trim both sponges and cut each into two long, even strips. Warm the jam, brush the strips and join them into a chequerboard block, then brush the outside with jam.
- Roll the marzipan into a rectangle large enough to enclose the cake. Wrap the cake tightly, with the seam underneath, trim the ends to show the pattern, and slice to serve.
Prep: 10 min · Cook: 60 min · Total: 70 min
Nutrition not computed — no serving count in the source recipe (per-serving values cannot be derived without one).