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Easy Battenberg Cake on a white plate with 2 slices cut, with a cup of tea.
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Easy Battenberg Cake

A pretty, traditional pink and yellow check sponge Battenberg Cake, sandwiched with jam and covered in marzipan, is a classic English cake for teatime. And it's easier to make than it looks.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Teatime
Cuisine: British
Servings: 8 slices
Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 200 g butter
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract (2.5ml)
  • 220 g self-raising flour
  • 1 level teaspoon baking powder (5ml)
  • Red or pink food colouring

To decorate:

  • 100 g apricot jam
  • 450 g marzipan, bought or homemade

For the marzipan, if making:

  • 200 g ground almonds
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, brandy, or amaretto (15ml)

Equipment

Square traybake tin 20cm/8-inch
or
Multi-sized cake tin
or
2 2-lb loaf tins
Baking parchment square
Clingfilm
Rolling pin

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
  • Line the base of the tin(s) with baking parchment (not necessary for loaf tins if they are non-stick).

To make the cake:

  • Put all the cake ingredients, except the colouring, into a large bowl or mixer/processor and beat well until smooth. (Butter, sugar, eggs, almond extract, flour, baking powder)
  • Divide the mixture in two, weighing to make sure they're even. Spoon half the mixture into one side of the tin and level the top. Quickly mix the colouring into the other half of the mixture until you have an even pink colour and spoon into the other side of the tin, carefully levelling the top.
    If you are using 2 tins, put one colour cake into each tin.
  • For a single cake, bake for 30-35 minutes. For 2 loaf cakes, bake for 25-30 minutes
    The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean or the top bounces back when you press it gently with your finger. Cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

For the marzipan, if making:

  • If using a food processor, blitz the dry ingredients briefly. Otherwise, sift the icing sugar and thoroughly mix together with the caster sugar and ground almonds.
    Add the egg yolk and lemon juice (or spirit) and mix. Add enough egg white to make a smooth, dry paste. If the marzipan gets too sticky, add more ground almonds.

To assemble:

  • Make sure the cake is completely cool.
    Cut the pink cake from the white one if necessary. Place both cakes on a board and trim the sides to give straight edges and to make the cakes the same size. Cut each cake in half lengthwise to give four equal strips
  • Warm the jam in a small pan or microwave. Roll out the marzipan between 2 pieces of clingfilm and trim to make a rectangle about 20cm x 30cm. Remove the top piece of clingfilm
  • Spread each piece of cake with jam on all the long sides and sandwich together in alternating pairs
  • Place the cake in the middle of the marzipan and wrap it up tightly using the clingfilm to pull the marzipan up and round, smoothing it on to the cake with your fingers. The edges should meet in the middle of one side. If you have a gap, smooth the marzipan edges together with your fingers. Trim the edges of the marzipanned cake to neaten.
    See the post for detailed instructions.

Video

Notes

Everyday Cooks tips

Flavour the layers:
  • Use almond or vanilla extract in the yellow layer
  • Crush and sieve 20g freeze-dried raspberries into the pink layer instead of colouring
  • Use raspberry jam to sandwich the cakes together.
Storage:
  • Keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to a week
  • Freeze for up to a month. Wrap in foil or beeswax wrap and store in a plastic box.