Battenberg Cake

Tags: #cake #british #almond #classic #pastry Serving: 10 slices Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Checkerboard almond sponge in pink and plain squares, bonded with apricot jam and wrapped in tender marzipan for a classic British teatime cake.

Ingredients

• 175 g unsalted butter, softened

• 175 g caster sugar

• 160 g whole eggs, beaten

• 150 g plain flour

• 50 g ground almonds

• 6 g baking powder

• 2 g fine salt

• 30 ml whole milk

• 5 ml vanilla extract

• 2 ml almond extract

• 0.2 g pink gel food coloring

• 150 g apricot jam

• 10 ml water

• 450 g marzipan

• 20 g icing sugar (for dusting)

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
2. Grease a 20 × 10 × 7 cm loaf tin.
3. Line the base and long sides with baking parchment.
4. Fold a strip of parchment to make a firm divider the length of the tin.
5. Insert the divider down the tin’s center.
6. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla, and almond extract in a mixing bowl.
7. Beat the mixture until smooth and light, 1–2 minutes.
8. Weigh the total batter.
9. Divide the batter into two bowls of equal weight.
10. Stir the pink gel coloring into one bowl until evenly tinted.
11. Spoon the plain batter into one side of the prepared tin.
12. Spoon the pink batter into the other side of the tin.
13. Level both batters with an offset spatula.
14. Bake the sponges for 28–32 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
15. Cool the tin on a rack for 10 minutes.
16. Remove the divider from the tin.
17. Lift the sponges out onto the rack using the parchment.
18. Cool the sponges until completely cold.
19. Trim the outer edges from each sponge to create straight sides.
20. Cut each sponge lengthwise into two equal strips.
21. Warm the apricot jam and water in a small pan until fluid.