Battenberg Cake
Buttery almond cake layered with apricot jam and wrapped in marzipan
Equipment
- 1 8x8 cake pan or battenberg pan
- foil and parchment for dividing the pan if using 8x8
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8.5 tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 2 drops almond extract
- 2/3 cup self rising flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup ground almonds
- 2 tsp milk or water
- few drops pink or red food coloring
To finish:
- powdered sugar for rolling
- 14 oz marzipan
- 1/2 cup apricot jam warmed and passed through a strainer to remove large chunks
Instructions
- If you have a battenberg pan, grease it and line with parchment. If using an 8x8 cake pan, spray with baker's joy, then cut a piece of parchment and then foil to an 8x12 inch rectangle. Fold up the center of the rectangle by 2 inches and crease well so that you have an 8x8 square with a ridge down the center. This will divide your two colors of cake. Place into the your 8x8 pan and spray the whole thing well with baker's joy or oil spray.
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and continue beating a bit longer. Make sure the scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fluffy in between.
- Add in the ground almonds and salt and mix well on medium speed. Add the flour and mix on low until combined, then add in the 2 tsp of liquid and mix well, but briefly.
- Separate the mixture into two equal portions - this is easiest using a scale. Color one side with a little pink or red coloring. Pour one color of cake into each side of the pan, and smooth evenly. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes or so until the cake is lightly browning and it is springy and a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
- Remove to a rack to cool. When cool, remove gently and if you used the 8x8 pan, cut each cake in half lengthwise, so you have 4 strips, 2 of each color.
- To assemble the cake, thin your jam with a tbsp of water and heat it until it is loose, then put it through a strainer to remove any large chunks.
- On a clean work surface, sprinkle a little powdered sugar and then knead your marzipan with a little food coloring to get it the color you want. Roll it out, using powdered sugar as necessary to prevent sticking into an 8x12 rectangle.
- Using a pastry brush, brush one side of one of the cake strips and place down length wise on the short end of the marzipan sheet. Brush all 3 other sides of the cake with jam, then repeat with a strip of the opposite color, placing it next to the first. Do the same for the other two, placing them on top of the existing strips but on the opposite color. Cover the outside of the cake with jam, then gently roll the marzipan around the cake and trim it so that the edges overlap slightly and crimp together this edge will be the bottom. If needed, crimp or trim the edges where the cake is visible to make it look neat. Cut into slices to serve. Store at room temp, covered by plastic wrap so the marzipan doesn't dry out.
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