Easiest Ever Battenberg Recipes

EASIEST EVER BATTENBERG

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Using a double layer of foil, make a barrier down the center of a 20cm square tin (or use a battenberg tin), then line each compartment with 2 pieces of baking parchment. Put all the cake ingredients except the food colouring in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Tip half the cake mixture into one side of the tin. Quickly mix the food colouring into the remaining cake mixture. When you have a smooth and vivid pink colour, scrape this mixture into the other side of the tin, then spread both mixtures to the edges of their sections. Bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Place the cakes on a chopping board and trim the sides of each one to give you a straight edge. Cut each one in half lengthways to give you 2 pink and 2 plain rectangular sponges, using a ruler if you want to be really exact. If the sponges are a little taller than they are wide, trim some sponge from the tops as well - this will ensure you have a perfect square when you come to assemble the cake.
• Heat the apricot jam in a small pan or the microwave, then sieve it. Lightly dust a work surface with a little icing sugar, then roll out a quarter of the marzipan to a rectangle roughly 20 x 10cm. Brush the surface with the warm apricot jam, then place 1 plain sponge and 1 pink sponge side by side on top, brushing the middle of the cakes with a little jam to stick them together. Brush the top of the cakes with more jam, then place the remaining sponges on top, with more jam in between, in a chequerboard pattern.
• Roll out the remaining marzipan to a rectangle roughly 20 x 25cm. Brush any remaining jam over the outside of the assembled cake. Using a rolling pin to help, lift the marzipan over the cake. Smooth it over the top and sides, and press gently into the corners so it wraps the cake tightly. Trim any excess marzipan about 1cm from the sides of the cake, and trim a thin slice off either end to neaten. To finish, crimp the marzipan around the base by pinching with your finger and thumb.

BATTENBURG CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt gently. Add milk if needed.
• Divide batter into 2 equal parts. Add food coloring to 1 part to make a deep pink color. Grease two 7 inch square pans. Spread batters into pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand in pans 5 minutes. Turn out on racks to cool.
• Trim edges from both cakes. Cut each cake lengthwise into 4 strips as wide as the cake is thick. Trim to make strips match. Heat jam slightly. Spread on sides to glue 2 pink and 2 white strips together checkerboard fashion. Spread all 4 sides of completed cake with jam. Repeat with remaining pink and white stripes. Makes two cakes.
• To Make Almond Paste: Mix almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg, lemon juice, and almond extract together. Knead until smooth, adding a bit of lemon juice or water if too dry to roll. Add only 1/2 teaspoon at a time. It will be stiff. Divide into 2 equal parts.
• Roll 1/2 of paste 1/8 inch or so thick on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Cut to fit length of cake, and long enough to cover 4 sides leaving ends uncovered. Lay cake on one end of paste. Wrap to completely enclose all 4 sides of cake pinching paste to seal. Roll in granulated sugar. Place with seal underneath on serving plate, or store in plastic bag. Repeat for second cake. Chill. Slice thinly to serve.

BATTENBERG RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350f. Line the base and sides of two 20cmx20cm square baking tins with baking parchment.
• Place the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and almond extract into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat, using the whisk attachment, until smooth.
• Divide the mixture into two (weigh it out to ensure it's even). Add the almond extract and the yellow food colouring to one bowl and mix together.
• Add the pink food colouring to the other bowl and mix. You want a vibrant yellow and pink colour, so add a little more colouring if required.
• Spoon one of the mixtures into one tin, and the other into the other tin. Smooth the top and ensure the cake batter is spread into the corners. Place in the oven and and bake for 25-30 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Time to assemble. Roll out one of the marzipan blocks on a surface that's been dusted with LOTS of confectioners' sugar. It needs to be a little more than 20cm wide, and long enough to wrap around the cake (about 40cm).
• Heat the apricot jam in a small pan (or microwave for a few seconds) until runny.
• Take one of the cakes and trim the sides and top so that cooked edges are cut off (you can leave the bottom). Cut the sponge into four long fingers - ensuring the height and width of each finger is equal.
• Repeat with the other sponge.
• Brush centre of the rolled marzipan with apricot jam (see picture), then lay a yellow sponge finger on top.
• Brush the side of the yellow sponge, and stick a pink sponge finger to it. Brush the top of the two sponge fingers with jam and place the other two fingers on top (with jam in between those two fingers), so you have a checkerboard effect.
• Spread jam on the rest of the marzipan then fold up the sides - making sure it's quite tight, and well adhered to the sponge.
• Fold the edges back on top of the cake and press them together - like you're sealing a zip-lock bag. Trim the excess marzipan off the top of the cake.
• Check again that everything is well adhered, then slice off both ends of the cake - to give a neat finish.
• Repeat this process for the other cake.
• Turn the cakes over, so the seam is on the bottom, then sprinkle with a little confectioners' sugar and serve.