Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Watched the The Great British Baking Show / The Great British Bake Off and been inspired to make the checkerboard Battenberg cake? Bake a super easy Battenberg cake with this foolproof recipe made with shop bought cake mix, frosting and marzipan.
Have fun yourself and with the kids with the decorating this awesome dessert and ensure a delicious, moist cake for your first try with this fool-proof method. Focus on learning how to bake and assemble the cake perfectly, so it will be quick and easy for you for the next times you make the Battenberg cake – and you will. Like me, this may become your “go to” cake. It never fails to impress – make elegant afternoon tea versions, or silly kids party cakes, or a cake for every day that just makes your day that extra bit special. Even take it to a cricket match … or baseball game … find out why in my video. Also, learn top tips for baking to use for all future bakes.
The video provides step by step instruction on how to bake the super easy Foolproof Battenberg Cake. Learn baking tips during all stages of the process. See the actual assembly of the cake being crafted. Enjoy the big reveal as we take the first slice. The recipe and tools you will need are just below the video so you can join in live.
Modernize it with Favorite Flavors and Super Easy Baking Technique
The true beauty of the Battenberg cake is not just in its striking checkerboard design, but in the unique blend of two flavors in one cake wrapped in a yummy marzipan. So many flavors to try – perhaps choose a favorite flavor of yours and one of your partner – a cake you can both enjoy. Choose fun flavors for a child’s birthday celebration – did you see what Loriea made on The Great British Baking Show / The Great British Bake Off … bubble gum and cream soda! Or host your very own afternoon tea, and serve this must-have “frivolous tea cake” (a term the Brits often call the Battenberg). My favorite flavor combination for an elegant tea version is Rose and Lemon – light and evoking of a sunny Summer afternoon. In my video, I am making American cake flavors of Red Velvet Chocolate Chip and Strawberry. I use store bought cake mix, frosting and marzipan from my pantry. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
The Battenberg Cake comes from a Proud Tradition
Traditionally, the Battenberg cake is a vanilla cake with an apricot jam glaze and marzipan. Half of the batter is dyed pink and the other half yellow. It is delicious and very pretty, do consider modernizing it and choose the flavors you love best and the approach to be perfect to suit your life – delicious, easy, quick and fun to make.
A bit of history of the Battenberg cake, to impress your family and friends with. The Battenberg cake was first named and made in 1884 for the wedding of Princess Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt and Prince Louis of Battenberg. This Princess Victoria was the grand daughter of Queen Victoria of the British Empire. Prince Louis had three brothers, and the four squares of the checkerboard cake are purported to represent the four Princes of Battenberg, Germany. For Royal followers, you’ll recognize the name Battenberg, as royals with that name in England later anglicized it to its English translation, Mountbatten; Prince Phillip (Queen Elizabeth II’s husband) is a Mountbatten. Anyway, the flavors were chosen to suit the palettes of England and Germany – Vanilla cake with Apricot jam surrounded by Almond Marzipan made the perfect ensemble of flavors to suit both regions. This was probably not the first time a checkerboard cake was made, but it is certainly the one that drove its popularity and made it an indelible part of British culture today. It is a welcome and regular part of high tea. This is how it has built its strong following in the Cricket community (the only sport where high tea is part of the rules of the game!). There are similar cakes called the Neapolitan Roll, Domino cake, Church Window cake, and Checkerboard cake. The Battenberg cake singularly has become an icon.
The Super Easy and Quick Foolproof Battenberg Cake Recipe
Foolproof Battenberg Cake using cake mix
Equipment
- Baking pan, choose the one you prefer IDEAL: two loaf pans of the same size OR IDEAL: bespoke Battenberg pan ALTERNATIVELY: One sheet cake pan, with parchment paper to make dividers OR ALTERNATIVELY: One square cake pan, with parchment paper to make dividers
- Oven, preheated to cook per directions of your cake mix (likely 350 F / 175 C)
Ingredients
- 2 Cake mix or ready made cake batter in different flavors Use ONE, if you will split the batter in half and flavor and color the other half. You will need a neutral flavor like Vanilla for best results. OR use TWO, to make flavoring and coloring easier. Just make two cake mix batters. You will have half of the mix left, so you can make two Battenbergs and freeze one (for up to a month) or use the batter for another cake, where you can also “blob” the two flavors of batter together to make marble cake.
- Ingredients to make your cake mix. Use the directions for your mix In most cases, this is: 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of oil (neutral flavored), 1 1/4 cup of water
- 16 oz Frosting, Icing or Jam store bought For sticking cakes together
- 14 oz Marizpan store bought
- 2 tbsp Powdered sugar (or corn starch) for rolling out the marzipan
- 1 tbsp Granulated sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to the temperature from your cake mix or ready made cake batter (normally about 350 F / 175 C)
- Prepare your pans. For Battenberg pans or Loaf pans, simply grease them very well or line them fully with parchment paper, if you prefer. With a cake mix, I prefer to use oil on my pans, which best interacts with the ingredients from a mix. Remember we are going for precision, so the cakes must perfectly separate from the pans. For tray bake or square cake pans, line the pan with parchment paper, making paper barriers to separate the two types of cake from each other. It is best to use the same pan to ensure the same length of all the cakes.
- Make your cake mix using the instructions from the package. When combining cake mix with liquid ingredients, make sure to combine thoroughly but with the least amount of mixing possible to achieve that. Over mixing cake batter will make your cake tough.
- If using one cake mix, separate the mix evenly in two bowls. Add flavor and color to one of the bowls. Usually about 1 teaspoon of extract is all you need for flavor. And food colors vary, so add a little at a time to get the shade you want. Skip the next step, jump to the one after that.
- If using two cake mixes, make each one in a different bowl. Remember to wash any whisk or mixer before using it in the other mix. Keep those flavors pure and different.
- Pour one cake mix batter into your pan. Key thing is to ultimately achieve a square. If using two cake mixes, you probably will only use half of each flavor of cake mix batter, so consider making two Battenberg cakes (you can easily freeze one for up to a month to enjoy later) or pouring the extra batter into a bundt pan to make a marble-effect bundt cake. For loaf pans, pour batter in to the height of half the width of the loaf pan. This way when it comes out, you can slice it down the middle for two equal cakes that are perfectly square at each end. For Battenberg pans, fill two of the four sections with one flavor of batter. For sheet or cake pans, fill the section of parchment that is set for this flavor. Remember you want the width of the cake to be two times the size of the height, so you can cut the cake in half and have two equal cakes from that flavor that are perfectly square on each end.
- Repeat previous step for the other flavor of cake mix batter.
- Place them in the preheated oven. Use the center rack for most equal cooking. DO NOT use the TIMING from the cake mix/batter package, since these are smaller cakes. Bake them 15-20 minutes and check for “doneness”. Then check each three minutes there after until done.
- Get your wire rack in a good place for cooling the cakes. If you have it, lay down parchment paper over top of it (which will help minimize a pattern from the rack setting into the cake) with granulated sugar on top (helps to eliminate sticking to the paper and adds flavor).
- Test to make sure you cake is done. One good way is to dip a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cake. It should come out clear, without any wet batter. Remove from the oven when done.
- Turn your cake out on top of the wire rack. Make sure you dump it out with the top down. This helps to flatten the top and secure the square shape we are looking for. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.
- Don’t be tempted to slide the cake while it is hot. Wait for it to cool. THEN, the fun! Slice the cake lengthwise exactly in half. This will give you two long rectangular cakes with squar(ish) ends. If the top is still domed and not flat, roll the cake on its side and slice off the domed part to achieve the perfect square ends. Return them to the rack, ready for assembly.
- Roll out marzipan into a thin sheet. Roll it into a rectangular shape with one edge the length of the cake and the other edge long enough to wrap around all four squares of the cake. Rough edges are fine, as we will cut these off after the cake is assembled. Hold back some marzipan if you want to add marzipan decorations. To rollout marzipan, use powdered sugar (as you would flour for rolling out dough) on the surface and rolling pin. For a less sweet version, use corn starch rather than powdered sugar. Remember to roll in all directions, turning the marzipan, to achieve an even roll. Do not roll your pin off the edges, as this will make the ends thinner than the rest of the sheet. Precision is the key for Battenberg.
- Spread the marzipan sheet with a very thin layer of frosting. You can use icing (just powdered sugar and water) or jam glaze (warmed jam, strained if seeds or skins are present) in place of frosting.
- Now place one of the four cakes you have made onto the marzipan sheet. Put a cooked edge down Place it so the cake length fits best onto your marzipan, with the least waste of marzipan hanging over. Remember we will ultimately slice each end off, so the interior of the cake shows, so no need to cover the small square ends. Spread a thin layer of frosting/icing/jam glaze over the two exposed uncooked sides. These sides will form the points where we stick the other cakes together.
- Choose the alternate flavor cake now, place it directly next to your first cake, against the frosted/jammed side so they stick together. Remember cooked sides should be down and on the outside. This gives your Battenberg more distinct square edges. Frost/spread jam glaze on the top.
- Add the additional two cakes forming a checkerboard pattern. Remember to frost/spread jam on the sliced edge that connects the two top pieces of cake. And, keep those cooked edges to the outside for best effect.
- Wrap the marzipan around the cake, encasing it completely around the long edges. Press the seam together (trimming if necessary), and gently roll over the assembled cake so the seam is on the bottom.
- Decorate as you desire. For marzipan, you can easily color it using gel food coloring and make figurines or roll it out and add shapes. Attach the figures or shapes with a small dab of frosting/icing/jam. The same technique holds for any hard sugar decoration you may want to use (elegant sugar lace, funny sugar eyes, etc.). You can also add frosting decoration.
- Now the REVEAL! I love this part! Carefully slice of each end to show the checkerboard patterned cake at its best. (And you can try your cake right now, munching down those ends).
- Present, serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Now Make a Battenberg Cake Any Time and with New Flavors
This fun and super easy to bake cake can be made anytime from your pantry. Quick, easy and delicious. Keep your pantry ready and you will always be prepared for an enjoyable bake and a delicious dessert of your choosing. For more pantry tips, go to the Pantry Prep page and explore. Use my Pantry Recipes and you’ll never be disappointed. Outfit your kitchen with top quality kitchen appliances at my KitchenAid affiliate link by Amazon and and gadgets at my OXO Good Grips affiliate link from Amazon – thank you very much for your support!
Look out for a future blog and video of a from-scratch seasonal flavor varieties, but start out with this fool-proof one. Keep the cake making easy and with perfect results every time. Focus on learning the technique of making those perfect checkerboards (or sometimes also called Church Windows, Dominos, or Neapolitan Roll). It is surprisingly easy once you’ve done it once or twice.
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What are your favorite combinations of flavors in a Battenberg cake? My all-time favorite is rose and lemon. Yum!
Mine is coconut-chocolate! But I still remember trying yours 8-9 years ago, it was delicious, you inspired me to try baking it at home 🙂