Original Battenberg Cake

Indulge in a delightful baking adventure with our recipe for an Original Battenberg Cake! This classic British treat is not only eye-catching with its signature checkerboard pattern but also boasts a lovely combination of flavors. Perfect for elegant occasions or cozy gatherings, this cake is sure to impress your family and friends. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and let’s get baking!

Title: Original Battenberg Cake

Ingredients:
– 200g butter, softened
– 200g golden caster sugar
– 200g self-raising flour
– 1 tsp almond extract
– 3 large eggs
– Pink and yellow food coloring
– Apricot jam, for assembling
– 400g marzipan
– Icing sugar, for rolling

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each to prevent curdling. Mix in the almond extract.
4. Gently fold in the self-raising flour until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
5. Divide the cake batter in half. Color one portion with pink food coloring and the other with yellow food coloring.
6. Pour each colored batter into separate halves of the prepared cake tin and smooth the tops.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Trim the edges of the cakes to create two long rectangles of each color.
10. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan until smooth and brush it over the long sides of the cake rectangles. Press the pink and yellow sides together to form a checkerboard pattern.
11. Roll out the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar to a size that will wrap around the cake.
12. Brush the assembled checkered cake with a thin layer of jam and wrap neatly in the marzipan. Trim any excess marzipan at the edges.
13. Serve your Original Battenberg Cake in beautiful slices and enjoy the delicious taste of this traditional treat!

There you have it! A stunning and scrumptious Original Battenberg Cake to elevate your baking skills and bring a touch of elegance to your table. Have fun creating this masterpiece and watch it become the star of your next gathering.