BATTENBERG CAKE

View fullsize

Battenberg Cake

Things that happened this weekend, the Fourth of July, 2016: 

1. I got a haircut while drinking a canned white wine spritzer.

2. I "played" my first game of strip poker with a Hair Stylist, a Brewmaster, a Lesbian, and an Executive Chef. Thankfully my days at J Crew taught me well and I was well layered even on a 90+ degree day. 

3. I attended a Miss Gay North Carolina prelim. It was Drop Dead Gorgeous meets Priscilla Queen of the Desert. One queen had a broken arm. Sadly she didn't win. 

4. At a pool party I watched a fully grown British Man with a tramp stamp do a medley of Tina Turner hits while wearing a soaking wet fedora and holding a Chambong (a champagne flute fitted like a beer bong). Look it up. You won't be sorry. 

And it was this same British Man with a tramp stamp that got me into the kitchen this past week. Some time ago at a random meeting in my small Southern city his request for a Battenberg Cake was made. Given that his girlfriend is in charge of my current hair management system (aka helping me embrace my follicle shortcomings) I thought it best to see what I could do. 

With our Independence Day approaching I thought no better time to make this classic British dessert. I figured the poor man not only has a tramp stamp (for an honorable famille reason so we really do appreciate it) but here he was in a country that, over 200 years ago, put his country in a corner, like Baby.  

CHECK OUT THIS OLDY BUT GOODY ABOUT MY COOKBOOK DESIRES, CEMETERY SHENANIGANS, AND FORMER 4th OF JULY FUN

---

BATTENBERG CAKE

RECIPE INSPIRED BY BBC FOODS

INGREDIENTS

For The Cake:

6 oz softened butter, plus extra for greasing

6 oz granulated sugar

3 large eggs

6 oz all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

red food coloring

For The Covering:

6 Tbsp apricot jam

1 lb 2 oz Marzipan

2-3 Tbsp powdered sugar, for rolling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Grease an 8" square baking dish with butter.

3. Take a 12"x8" strip of parchment paper and make a 3" fold in the center. This will work as a divider in the cake so the two differently colored batters can be baked at the same time.

4. Line the baking dish with parchment, keeping the divider in the center.

5. Put the butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until well combined.

6. Divide the batter equally between two medium mixing bowls.

7. Add a small drop of red food coloring to one bowl and fold into the batter until desired color is obtained.

8. Spoon the cake batters into each side of the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula.

9. Bake in the center of of the oven about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and turn cake out onto wire rack.

10. To assemble cake, trim off crusty edges so they are both the same size. Then cut the sponges in half lengthwise to make four long rectangles.

11. Warm the apricot jam in small saucepan, then press through a sieve.

12. Brush the long side of one of the cakes with jam and sandwich together with a contrasting colored cake. Repeat this with the other two cakes. Sandwich the two pairs of cakes together to create a checkerboard and brush the top and sides with jam.

13. Place the marzipan on a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Roll out into a rectangle about 16"x10". It should be large enough to cover cake completely, leaving both ends exposed. Marzipan should be about 1/4" thick.

14. Turn the cake upside down on the marzipan and brush the bottom with jam.

15. Wrap the marzipan around the cake, pressing it on the surface of the cake. Press the edges together to make a seam.

16. Turn back over the cake with the seam underneath, trim a thin slice off each end and place on serving platter.

---

---