Tuesday 12 August 2008

Battenburg Cake Recipe


How to Make a Battenburg Cake with Step-by-Step Picture Guide Recipe

Batternburg cake is a sponge cake that is divided into two colours; pink and yellow, then cut into four and arranged into a chequered rectangle cake. The cake is spread with jam and covered in marzipan.

Any typical British household will have shared a battenburg cake amongst family and friends at one time or another.

My recipe is a very rich cake so you only need a small piece of battenburg cake per person which is great because there is plenty to share around with loved ones.

Cooking your very own homemade battenburg recipe is so much fun and easy to bake.


I only ever use apricot jam for my battenburg cake but in this recipe I have used strawberry jam as the person I made it for requested it.

Apricot jam is the traditional way of making a battenburg cake because it compliments the almond marzipan in such a fantastic way.

If you are trying a battenburg cake for the first time I would only use apricot jam as with apricot jam you will be tasting the delicious battenburg cake at its very best.




Ingredients for Jeenas Kitchen Battenburg Cake Recipe
3 Medium Eggs
6oz Self Raising Flour
4oz Sunflower Margarine
4oz Caster Sugar
Pink Food Colouring
Yellow Food Colouring
Almond Essence
Vanilla Essence
Jeenas Marzipan
Apricot Jam
Powdered Sugar (to dust)
Caster Sugar (to dust)



How to Make a Battenburg Cake Recipe


Use a whisk to cream together the 4oz margarine and 4oz caster sugar.




Add the flour and eggs, whisk well.



Separate the battenburg cake mixture equally into two separate bowls.



In one bowl add add a few drops of vanilla essence and a few drops of pink food colouring.

Use a tiny spoon to drip little drops of the pink food colouring into the cake mixture so that you do not add too much colouring.

Mix well.



Repeat the same process in the other bowl using yellow food colouring and almond essence.



Take a large loaf tin.

Take two pieces of grease proof paper, place both pieces into the loaf tin.

Very lightly grease each paper in the loaf tin.

Pour each battenburg cake batter into the separate paper casing.



Cut around the edges of the loaf tin to make the paper more neat.



Place the battenburg cake into a hot oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes.

Do not open the oven for at least 25 minutes to check.

Your cake is ready when it is springy to the touch or a skewer comes out clean.



Take the cakes from the loaf tin.



Remove the grease proof paper.

Leave cake to cool down completely on the rack.

Do not cut the battenburg cakes whilst still warm or else the cakes will fall apart.



Once the cakes have cooled down use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the edges.

You want a square/rectangle shape.



Now carefully cut the cakes in half down the middle.



You want to layer two on top of two in a chequered pattern.

Test the cake peices by stacking them together to see how it looks or if any more cake needs slicing off to even the cakes out.



You can eat the left over cake peices or add them to a russian slice cake recipe with other cake peices.




Lightly spread apricot jam between the middle of the bottom two cakes.



Lightly spread some jam on top of the bottom layer.




Take the top layer of cakes and lightly spread jam inbetween the middle.



Layer the top cakes on top of the bottom cakes.




Roll out a large sheet of grease proof paper.

Dust with powdered sugar.

Roll out the marzipan.



Lightly spread the left hand side of the battenburg cake with jam and face the cake jam side down at the bottom of the marzipan.



Lightly spread arounf the rest of the battenburg cake with jam.



Lift up the sheet of grease proof paper and gently fold the marzipan around the cake.

Gently press the marzipan against the cake so that it sticks to the cake.



Do not worry if any marzipan tears just take some from the edges and gently press it together.

Use a sharp knife to carefully slice around the edges.

Place the battenburg cake botom side down onto a serving plate.



Dust very lightly with caster sugar.



Enjoy your delicious battenburg cake recipe.



See my cake recipes index page for more delicious cake recipes.

Enjoy Jeenas Kitchen Battenburg Cake Recipe.


29 comments:

Prudy said...

What a gorgeous summer cake. My little girl would love that for her birthday. I love all the photos making it actually seem doable.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A beautiful cake! Really gorgeous and so yummy looking!

cheers,

Rosa

Jenny said...

This cake is so cool Jeena! I love all the layered colors. Your step by step photos are beautiful as usual!! Great recipe!

Aggie said...

Jenna - What a beautiful cake! I love how you take the time to post all your pictures with the steps. Thank you!

I bet it tastes wonderful!

test it comm said...

A cake covered in jam and marzipan sounds really good!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This looks just so pretty and probably tastes great!

La Bella Cooks said...

My hubby's dad was a chef in London and had sent me a recipe for Battenburg Cake. It was a long long recipe so I never made it, but you make it look so easy so I will have to give it a try. What a darling cake!

grace said...

that is downright awesome, jeena! i've never seen such an attractive design in a cake before--bravo! now if only i could summon the courage to attempt such an endeavor... :)

Maria said...

What a neat cake! I love it!

Anonymous said...

Thats a beautiful cake Jeena! I feel like having it now.

http://zaiqa.net/

Stacey Snacks said...

Wow Jeena,
You are daring! I wouldn't even attempt this!
I think I will drive down to the bakery now!
Beautiful cake!
Stacey

Snooky doodle said...

Nice cake The step by step instructions are really helpful. I was searching for an eggless marzipan recipe thanks

Unknown said...

Cute looking cake..Worth the effort..

Anonymous said...

This looks so cute and delicious! And with just some minor changes in color it could be the theme cake for microsoft! :)

Bharti said...

How pretty, I think I have eaten this as a kid.

giz said...

This cake looks like a fun one to make and an interesting one to serve as well. I actually quite like the strawberry filling - it gives it a sense of drama. I'd try this first with the apricot just to understand the flavour combinations.

Swati said...

Jeena, this looks awesome and you are so sweet to click all the step by step pictures.. Its amazing..

Cynthia said...

I wish I could have a slice with a cuppa right now :)

Mallika said...

I've never made Battenburg. You almost make it look easy!

SteamyKitchen said...

WOW! how pretty! Thanks for the step by step...I'm not a good baker, so seeing it in photos really helps

Rachel Ducker said...

What a cute little recipe!

What puts me off the battenburg is the colorings as I dont like adding to my food I guess you could add strawberries or fruit to provide natural colour and extra flavour?

Great cake!

Duckey x

Rosie said...

Hi jeena, oh my - you baked battenburg cake!! My hubby adores this cake and you have made a most wonderful job of this bake!

Rosie x

Unknown said...

Wow what a lovely cake.It has got a nice name too.Thanks for sharing with step by step instructions.

Cakelaw said...

Great job Jeena. I have always wanted to make Battenburg cake but have never been game because it looks so complex.

Arabic Bites said...

Wow...jeena the cake looks soooo beautiful.
Great job...

zainab :)

Anonymous said...

wow out of this world. jeenaaaaaaaaa, plssssssssss give me a eggless version of this cake. plsssssssssssssssssssss

Unknown said...

Jeena, I really appreciate how much effort you put in each recipe by taking step by step photos:) Thats something very creative and requires dedication:) Very nice recipe and the marzipan is also a very useful one , so nice of your to share the recipe of marzipan made at home:)

Vrinda said...

Great step by step instructions...recenltly i saw the recipe where she baked the cakes in 2 pans and stacked them together..i really wanted to try these,but dont hav marzipan,can i try with marshmallow fondant?

Chef Jeena said...

Hi Vrinda,

You sure can use a marshmallow fondant if you want to, it would not be a traditional battenburg cake but you could use this method of esembling the cake if you like.