Classic Battenberg Cake (Printable)

Soft pink and yellow sponge arranged in a classic checkerboard, filled with apricot jam and wrapped in sweet marzipan for a charming British teatime treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sponge Cake

01 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - ¾ cup caster sugar
03 - 3 large eggs
04 - 1 cup self-raising flour
05 - ½ cup ground almonds
06 - 1 tsp baking powder
07 - ½ tsp vanilla extract
08 - ¼ tsp almond extract
09 - Pink food coloring

→ Filling & Covering

10 - 1 cup apricot jam
11 - 12 oz marzipan, plus extra for dusting
12 - Icing sugar, for dusting

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment, creating a divider from foil and parchment to split the pan in half.
02 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy using electric mixer or hand whisk.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
04 - Fold in flour, ground almonds, baking powder, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined.
05 - Divide batter evenly between two bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and mix until soft pink hue is achieved.
06 - Spoon each batter into one side of prepared pan. Smooth tops and bake for 25-30 minutes until skewer comes out clean.
07 - Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Trim edges of both sponges, then cut each sponge in half lengthwise to make four long rectangles.
09 - Warm apricot jam and sieve to remove lumps. Brush cake sides with jam and assemble in checkerboard pattern, alternating pink and yellow.
10 - Roll out marzipan on surface dusted with icing sugar to rectangle large enough to wrap around assembled cake.
11 - Brush outside of cake with apricot jam, carefully wrap marzipan around cake, trimming excess. Press to seal and score top lightly with knife for decoration.
12 - Slice and serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks impressively intricate but relies on basic baking skills you probably already have
  • The combination of almond scented sponge and apricot jam hits that perfect sweet spot between sophisticated and comforting
  • Nothing beats the satisfaction of slicing into that perfectly formed checkerboard pattern you created yourself
02 -
  • The divider in your cake tin is absolutely crucial, I tried free handing it once and ended up with a muddy purple mess where the colors bled together
  • Trimming your sponges to exactly the same size before assembly is what creates those sharp clean lines between colors
  • Room temperature ingredients and fully cooled cakes before assembly are non negotiable for this recipe
03 -
  • Use gel food colouring instead of liquid to avoid thinning out your pink batter
  • If your marzipan seams wont stick, brush on a tiny bit of water before pressing them together

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