This post has been sponsored by Bake from Scratch and Bob’s Red Mill. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that keep Olive and Artisan going.
Sometimes I don’t want to make 3 dozen batches of the same cookie over and over. Sometimes I want to make one thing really well – and that is where the Battenberg Cake comes in. It’s impressive and sinfully delicious.
When I told my friends, I was in the middle of making one, they knew exactly what it was. Oh yeah! From the Great British Bakeoff! And they gobbled it up holding it by the marzipan wrapping like it was a sandwich and it made me love them even more.
The Battenberg cake, as most traditional British deserts, was first made for a Royal celebration. The wedding of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter). Traditionally it’s made into a 4 distinct checkers, two yellow and two pink. Because of the cake, most things that are checkered are known as the Battenberg pattern.
And, the whole reason I was able to make this cake with such ease is because of Bake from Scratch and their Better Baking Academy brought to us by Bob’s Red Mill. Their online academy goes through all the basics while teaching us the hard stuff too! This is the last installment of the year for my blog. This year, I was able to make Knock-off Zingers, Roulade Petit Fours, and Edible Flour Focaccia with their help. I truly could not have done it without their help and a cabinet full of Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour.
The few changes I made to their recipe were in flavor and execution. One of the cakes is red velvet and the other is a mint or peppermint. I also decided to make 16 small checkers instead of the classic 4. Which does lend itself to a little more work but it also makes it a treat to slice into.
I really hope you get a chance to sit down and make something impressive this holiday season too. A Buche de Noel, a gingerbread house, fruit cake, Croquembouche? but I really hope it’s this Mint Red Velvet Battenberg Cake.
Red Velvet and Mint Battenberg Cake
A classic Battenberg made in a non-traditional way with smaller checkers and fun flavors!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
|| For the Cakes ||
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
4 large eggs (200 grams), room temperature
1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
1½ cups (188 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
¼ cup (24 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream, room temperature and divided
2 tablespoons (10 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon (15 grams) red liquid food coloring
½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) mint or peppermint extract
1 teaspoon (5 grams) green food coloring
½ cup (160 grams) seedless strawberry jam
Gold nonpareils for decoration
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
|| For the Marzipan ||
1½ cups (180 grams) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1½ cups (144 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large pasteurized egg white (30 grams)
2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake,
Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with baking spray with flour. Cut a sheet of parchment paper into at least a 16¼x8-inch rectangle. Fold in half widthwise. From center fold, fold over a 2-inch section. Place parchment in prepared pan with 2-inch section standing up in center to form a divider.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with ¼ cup (60 grams) cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Transfer half of batter (about 2 cups or 472 grams) to another medium bowl; fold in 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cream just until combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa, red food coloring, and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cream until smooth. Fold cocoa mixture into remaining batter until combined. With the plain batter, add mint or peppermint extract and green food coloring and fold to combine. Spoon each batter into one side of prepared pan. Using a small offset spatula, smooth flat; run tip of spatula through each batter. Tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter to help release air bubbles.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, trim each cake into 2 approximately 7½x1½x1½-inch rectangles. Continue to slice each rectangle into another 4 even long pieces, approximately 71/2 x 1/3×1/3 rectangles.
In another small bowl, whisk jam until smooth.
Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners’ sugar. On sugar-dusted surface, roll Vanilla Marzipan into a 13½x9½-inch rectangle (about ⅛ inch thick). (You can turn the marzipan over before building the cake if you do not want any confectioners’ sugar to be on the outside of the cake.) Spread jam on one side of one piece of mint cake, and place, jam side down, on marzipan; spread jam on remaining sides of mint cake piece. Spread jam on one side of one piece of red velvet cake, and place, jam side down, next to vanilla cake piece on marzipan. Continue this step until 4 pieces of cake are at the base. Spread jam on exposed sides of cake pieces. Repeat the next layer the same way but alternating colors against the previous layer. Continue until there are 4 layers of cake. Spread jam on all exposed sides of cake piece. Gently press all cake pieces together.
Trim marzipan flush with ends of cake. Carefully wrap marzipan around cake, gently pressing to smooth out air pockets and seal. Trim off any excess marzipan if there is any overlap. Place, seam side down, on a serving platter, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, score marzipan in a checkerboard pattern, and trim each end. Place the nonpareils at the cross section of each checkerboard pattern for additional decoration if desired.
For the Marzipan,
In the work bowl of a food processor, place confectioners’ sugar, flour, and salt; pulse until combined. Add egg white and vanilla, and process until mixture holds together and has the consistency of softened butter.
Lightly dust work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Turn out marzipan, and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, dusting with confectioners’ sugar as needed. Shape into a rectangle, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
