Also known as ‘window cake’, batternberg is a delicious, marzipan coated sponge that is the perfect addition at any summer picnic or afternoon tea. This recipe makes two batterberg cakes, so you can either store one or give one away to a lucky friend!
Ingredients
For the almond sponge:
- 175g butter
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 140g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
For the pink sponge
- Same quantity of ingredients as above
- 1/2 tsp pink food colouring
For assembly:
- 2 x 500g marzipan blocks
- 200g apricot jam
Method
- Heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4 and line a square baking tin (20cm) with baking parchment.
- Make the almond sponge by combining the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs and vanilla & almond extracts in a mixer and beat until everything comes together smoothly. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, then allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Clean the tin and line with baking parchment as before. Make the pink sponge by combining all the ingredients again and, once everything has come together, fold in some pink food colouring. Pour into the cake tin and bake and cool as before.
- Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it comes to a runny consistency, then strain into a bowl through a sieve. Trim two opposite edges from the almond sponge, then trim a third edge. Measure the height of the sponge then, using a ruler, cut 4 slices each the same width and height. Repeat with the pink sponge, and discard and cut-offs.
- You should now have long slices of sponge (4 yellow, 4 pink) that measure the same. Roll out one of the marzipan blocks, on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, until you have a sheet of marzipan about 20cm wide and 0.5cm thick.
- Brush the marzipan with the apricot jam, then lay a pink and an almond slice side by side at one end of the marzipan. Brush jam in between the slices to stick them together, then brush more on top before laying another pink and another almond slice on top in a checkerboard pattern. Trim the marzipan to the length of the cakes.
- Lift the marzipan up and smooth over the cake with your hands, leaving a small fold along the bottom edge, then seal and crimp together using your fingers.
- Repeat the process as above to make the second cake.
Lead image: merc67 via Getty images.