Triple culinary fusion, the cake is originally from UK, and was designed to honor the marriage of Princess Victoria to Prince Louis of Battenberg from Germany, back in 1884.  In my version, a little tropical flair was added to the party, even if 134 years late. Better late than never.

LIME AND MANGO BATTENBERG
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

175 g butter
175 g sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175 g all-purpose flour
2 + 3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
zest of two limes
2 tsp Amoretti mango emulsion flavor
350 g marzipan

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour Battenberg pan, including the inserts.

Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Gradually add the beaten eggs.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt so that they are evenly mixed. Fold it in the butter-egg mixture.

Divide the cake batter into two equal parts.  Add the lime zest and a drop of green gel food dye to it. Mix gently. Add the mango flavor and a drop of orange food dye to the second portion of the batter.  Spoon the green mixture into two sections of the pan, spoon the orange batter on the two remaining sections.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan. When completely cold, remove from the pan and trim if needed. Brush the mango jam onto the long sides of the cakes and join one plain and one pink slice together and then one pink and one plain on top, creating a checkered pattern. Now brush the jam over all the sides. The jam is what glues the marzipan to the cake, so make sure you have a  thin coating all over the surfaces, and also in between the  four individual parts.

Roll out the marzipan on some sugar, making a rectangle approximately 8 x 12 inches. Place the cake on to the marzipan so that one edge is lined up to the edge of the marzipan (see my composite photo below). Trim away any surplus marzipan and both ends of the cake with a sharp knife. Decorate the top, if you so desire.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I first saw this cake on the Great British Baking Show, and was mesmerized by it. Of course, they made the poor contestants improvise a pan using folded parchment paper, and then go into heavy hyperventilation as the two-colored batters baked in that iffy environment. I followed a safer route and got the right tool for the job. Shocking, I know…

If you browse the internet and cookbooks, you’ll see countless variations on Battenberg, many will have not four, but 9 blocks of two-color bakes. In that case the easiest way is to bake two large cakes and cut blocks from them, assembling them in alternating colors. The traditional version has a single flavor, almond, and half the batter gets food coloring, usually pink.

I used the recipe that came with the pan as a starting point, as I reasoned it would generate the perfect amount of batter. The recipe called for British self-raising flour which is different from that sold in the US.  I made the British version from scratch (it is essentially 2 tsp baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour).  To take the cake into a more tropical atmosphere, I chose lime and mango in the form of lime zest (inspired by this cake from Philip), and Amoretti mango flavoring. Great product, by the way. I highly recommend it .

The cake was a perfect project for a rainy Sunday…

This was my second time working with marzipan (first time was for the Fraisier Cake), but in the Battenberg the marzipan plays a much more prominent role. You need to make sure it is rolled with uniform thickness (not too thin so it won’t crack as you fold it), and that you have enough marzipan to cover the whole cake. So, measure twice and roll away. Any imperfections on the edge of the cake and marzipan layer will disappear once you trim it. As the baker, you are allowed to nibble on the trimmings, but it is absolutely mandatory to share with any four-legged creatures in your home. Which explains that I barely had any, magnanimous soul that I am. Buck and Oscar were in absolute heaven, BogeyQT™ inhaled it all so fast, I doubt his taste buds had a chance to fire. Not much I can do about it. Such is the life of a 75-pound dalmatian.

If Battenberg Cake appeals to you, I urge you to visit Philip’s blog,
he has many versions, one better than the other.
Check them out with a click here.

The cake turned out wonderful, both flavors complemented each other well… and what’s even better, it was highly appreciated by our colleagues next day!

Now I want to pick new pairings of flavor… chocolate and orange, coconut and lime, white chocolate and strawberries… the possibilities are endless!

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