It’s been awhile! With the start of summer, things have been busy but I’m excited to share this new recipe with you. I was recently watching an old episode of the Great British Baking Show and I was intrigued by the challenge to make a Battenberg cake. This cake isn’t very common in the US, but I loved the checkerboard pattern and was immediately reminded of the topsy-turvy fun found in Alice in Wonderland.
A typical Battenberg is comprised of yellow and pink cake, but this wouldn’t be a Wonderland cake without a slight twist! Given the cake’s ability to have different blocks of color, I felt the Queen of Heart’s colors of red and white would be the perfect inspiration.
To make the checkerboard pattern, I used aluminium foil to divide my cake pan in half. Once baked, I cut each cake into strips, covered them in jam, and stacked them on top of each other. I opted to use store bought marzipan for my cake. I had previously tried to make my own, but found the consistency was too rough. I also opted for seedless jam, so that the overall consistency of the cake was smooth. To dye the cake and marzipan red, I used Wilton’s gel food coloring.
Grab a cup of tea and enjoy a little taste of Wonderland!
Disclaimer: Links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Queen of Hearts Battenberg Cake
A classic cake with a wonderland twist!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¼ C. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ C. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 C. granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ C. milk
Filling and Decoration
- ½ to 1 C. seedless strawberry jam
- 7 oz. marzipan
- red food coloring
Instructions
Cake
-
Preheat oven to 350 F. Divide a 9x9 cake pan in half using aluminium foil.
-
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
-
In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg, egg white, and vanilla; beat until blended.
-
On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture, one-third at a time, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
-
Divide the mixture in half and add desired amount of red food coloring to one half.
-
Pour mixtures into prepared cake pan.
-
Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
-
Cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
Assembly and Decoration
-
Once cakes are completely cool, cut off edges and the top of the cakes so that all sides are smooth.
-
Cut each cake into strips. Each strip should be as tall as it is long, making sure each strip is roughly the same size and shape. Choose 2 strips of each color and set aside the rest.
-
Warm jam in the microwave and stir until smooth. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread a layer of jam on each side of the cake strips.
-
Assemble cake by placing alternate colors of cake strips next to and on top of each other to create a checkerboard pattern. Make sure there is jam between each layer and all around the outside of the cake.
-
Place cake in the refrigerator to set.
-
Knead marzipan until it is soft, adding desired amount of red food coloring. With a rolling pin, roll marzipan into a long rectangle, using a small amount of confectioner’s sugar to prevent stickiness.
-
Remove cake from the refrigerator and cover all sides with the marzipan.