Here’s a classic Battenberg cake recipe for you!
### Ingredients
#### For the Cake:
– 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
– 1 cup (225g) granulated sugar
– 4 large eggs
– 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
– 1 ½ tsp baking powder
– ¼ tsp salt
– 2 tbsp milk
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp apricot jam
– Red and yellow food coloring (or any other colors of your choice)
#### For the Marzipan:
– 1 ½ cups (150g) marzipan
– 1 tbsp apricot jam (for brushing)
### Instructions
1. **Preheat the Oven**: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8-inch (20cm) square cake pan.
2. **Prepare the Cake Batter**:
– In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
– Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
– In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
– Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
3. **Color the Batter**:
– Divide the batter into two equal parts. Add a few drops of food coloring to each part to get the desired colors. Mix until the colors are well incorporated.
4. **Bake the Cake**:
– Spoon the colored batters into the prepared pan in alternating spoonfuls, creating a checkerboard pattern.
– Use a skewer or knife to swirl the batters slightly for a marbled effect, if desired.
– Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. **Cool and Assemble**:
– Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
– Once cooled, trim the edges of the cake to make a neat rectangle. Cut the cake into equal-sized rectangles (typically 4).
6. **Prepare the Marzipan**:
– Roll out the marzipan on a lightly powdered sugar surface until it’s large enough to cover the cake.
– Brush the cooled cake with apricot jam to help the marzipan stick.
7. **Assemble the Cake**:
– Arrange the rectangles of cake in a checkerboard pattern.
– Brush the entire cake with apricot jam and carefully wrap with the marzipan, smoothing out any wrinkles.
– Trim any excess marzipan.
8. **Finishing Touches**:
– If desired, you can decorate the cake with additional marzipan decorations or a light glaze.
Enjoy your beautiful and delicious Battenberg cake!
