The iconic British Battenberg — a pink-and-yellow chequerboard of almond sponge held together with apricot jam and wrapped in a smooth marzipan jacket.
The Battenberg is a true British showpiece — a pink-and-yellow chequerboard of almond sponge, wrapped in a snug blanket of marzipan. It takes a little precision, but slicing into that neat four-square pattern is hugely satisfying and always impresses.
Prep 50 min
Cook 30 min
Total 110 min
Hard
- 175g Butter
- 175g Caster Sugar
- 140g Self-Raising Flour
- 50g Almonds
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 3 Medium Eggs
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
- ½ tsp Pink Food Colouring
- 200g Apricot
- 1kg Marzipan
- Dusting Icing Sugar
Tags:
Cake SweetVideo
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment (crossing two 20cm strips over the base makes this easy).
- For the almond sponge, put the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Scrape into the tin, spread to the corners, and bake for 25–30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack.
- For the pink sponge, line the tin again and mix all the ingredients as before but without the almond extract, folding in some pink food colouring. Scrape into the tin, bake as before, and cool.
- To assemble, heat the jam until runny, then sieve. Barely trim two opposite edges of the almond sponge and well-trim a third, then measure the height of the sponge and, cutting from the well-trimmed edge, use a ruler to cut 4 slices each the same width as the sponge's height. Repeat with the pink cake.
- Take 2 almond and 2 pink slices and trim them all to the same length. Roll out one block of marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar to just over 20cm wide and about 0.5cm thick.
- Brush the marzipan with apricot jam, lay a pink and an almond slice side by side at one end (brushing jam between them to stick), leaving 4cm of marzipan clear at the end. Brush more jam on top and sandwich the remaining two slices on top, alternating colours for the chequerboard effect, then trim the marzipan to the length of the cakes.
- Lift the marzipan and smooth it over the cake with your hands, leaving a small fold along the bottom edge before sealing the first side. Trim the opposite side to match and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, marking slices on top with the fork if you like.
- Assemble the second Battenberg and store in an airtight box or well wrapped for up to 3 days.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Measure and cut the sponge strips evenly — the chequerboard only looks crisp if the pieces match.
- Brush jam between every surface so the blocks stick firmly and the marzipan adheres.
- Roll the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar, not flour, to stop it sticking and stay sweet.
- A small fold of marzipan along the bottom seam gives a neat, professional join.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually unevenly cut sponge strips. Use a ruler and cut the strips the same width as the sponge's height for a true chequerboard.
Absolutely — it makes the wrapping much easier, and most bakers do exactly that.
Well wrapped or in an airtight box for up to 3 days; the marzipan keeps the sponge lovely and moist.
