Cutting into this fondant-wrapped dessert reveals a checkered center that boasts pink and blue cake squares glued together by a flavorful fruit spread. Guests will surely be impressed but need not know just how simple it was to make this sweet teatime treat. Blue & Pink Battenburg Cake pictured with White Chocolate-Vanilla Baby Éclairs.
Blue & Pink Battenburg Cake
Serves: approximately 8
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup castor (extra-fine granulated) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- ½ cup ground blanched almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Blue food coloring*
- Pink food coloring*
- ½ cup apricot fruit spread**
- 2 tablespoons water
- 350 grams prepared white vanilla fondant***
- Garnish: soft yellow edible petal dust and approximately 24 white sugar pearls***
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, and spray again.
- Using a piece of foil approximately 8 inches long, make a foil divider for pan by folding in half, and then fold in half again. Place foil rectangle in the center of pan. Spray divider with cooking spray.
- Place another piece of parchment paper (approximately 12×8 inches) over foil divider in prepared pan, folding over divider to fit. Spray parchment paper again.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and creamy, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at the time, beating until incorporated. Beat in almond extract until incorporated. Sift self-rising flour, almond flour, and salt over batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold flours and salt into batter until combined.
- Divide batter into 2 equal portions. Add desired amount of blue food coloring to one portion of batter, stirring until blended. Spread batter into one side of prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth to create a level surface.
- Add desired amount of pink food coloring to remaining batter portion to produce a light pink color, stirring to blend. Spread batter into remaining side of prepared pan, smoothing to create a level surface. Tap pan on countertop to reduce air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto wire racks, discarding foil divider. Let cool completely.
- Place cakes on a cutting surface. (If either cake has a domed top, using a long, serrated bread knife, cut to level.) Using a long, serrated bread knife, cut cakes lengthwise into 2 equal sections, trimming and discarding edges, if desired.
- In a small saucepan, heat apricot spread with 2 tablespoons water over low heat until melted, approximately 1 minute. Using a pastry brush, coat tops of both blue sections with apricot mixture. Stack a pink section on top of each blue section. Flip one stack so that blue section is on top. Brush long side of one cake stack with apricot mixture. Press sides of stacks together. (Apricot mixture will serve as the glue.) Trim ends of cake stacks.
- Knead and roll out fondant to a 12×10-inch rectangle, according to package instructions.
- Brush top of cake with apricot mixture. Place cake stack, apricot side down, in center of fondant sheet. Brush all remaining sides of cake with apricot mixture.
- Wrap cake with fondant, pressing and smoothing fondant so it adheres to cake. Turn cake over. Fold and tuck in ends of fondant to keep cake moist.
- Using a fondant press, gently press fondant with a hashmark pattern. Using a decorating brush, brush cake with edible petal dust to lightly cover. Dip white sugar pearls in a small amount of water and place on top of cake, pressing gently to adhere. Gently cover cake with plastic wrap until ready to serve, up to a day.
- Just before serving, unwrap cake. Using a long, serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion, trim ends and cut cake into ¾ -inch slices.
Notes
*We used Wilton Delphinium Blue Icing Color and Wilton Color Right Concentrated Food Coloring in Pink.
**We used Bonne Maman Intense Apricot Fruit Spread.
***Available at most cake supply stores.
**We used Bonne Maman Intense Apricot Fruit Spread.
***Available at most cake supply stores.
Battenberg Cake Pan HOW-TO:
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