Battenburg Cake

BATTENBURG CAKE

INGREDIENTS

350g Butter

350g Caster Sugar

350g Self-raising flour

6 Large eggs (300g in weight approx)

Pink dye (I use sugar flair gel or Progel but not liquid)

1 Teaspoons vanilla  extract or almond

100g Jam

500g Almond paste

METHOD

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C
• Line a square 8” tin with parchment paper and make a partition running down the centre as you will be baking two separate loaf cakes .
• You can create your own partition by double folding tinfoil to fit snugly into your tin so you have a separate compartment for each batter as it bakes, you can slip some cardboard in between the tinfoil to add stability to the cakes when baking.
• Beat the butter and sugar until blended and then add in gradually all the flour followed by your eggs and extract or almond (if using) Make sure you scrap down if needed to blend well.
• You should have approximately 1300g of batter so you will need to weigh out 650g for vanilla and the remaining batter will be dyed pink. Dye your batter to your preferred colour.
• Try not to use liquid colour as it will affect the batter, gels or pastes work better.
• Fill each compartment with batter and bake for 45minutes Once baked leave to cool completely in the tin.
• Remove cakes from tin and level off. Trim all the sides of the cakes so you have no cake skin and just fresh sponge showing in all it’s glory.
• Split each loaf cake in half vertically so you now have four long finger rectangles of cake.
• Starting with the vanilla sponge brush the top and one side with jam, repeat with the pink sponge with corresponding sides . Now stick the vanilla sponge and pink sponge jam sides together , brush the top of each finger again with jam and then repeat with the other two fingers of cake .
• Alternate between colours so you have a pink sponge sitting on top of a vanilla sponge and vice versa. You know have a box cake with diagonal colours matching.
• Coat all sides now with jam ready for the almond paste coating.
• Roll our your almond paste and using a piece of ribbon as a guide measure the length and width of your Battenburg cake. You can use this quick guide as a guesstimate to see how much more you have to roll out your almond paste.
• Sit your Battenburg log on your almond paste and roll up carefully to encase the sponge fingers.
• Pinch the seams of your almond paste together to secure, I used a little crimper or you can just use your fingers. Sprinkle with caster sugar and leave to dry for about an hour before cutting so the almond paste has time to settle. Enjoy with fourteen cups of tea!