Battenberg Cake

Battenberg Cake

My Mother

My Mother, my friend  so dear

Throughout my life you’re always near.

A tender smile to guide my way

You’re the sunshine to light my day.

                                                                                     Anonymous

I learnt Baking from my mother. She used to bake Cakes & Nankhatais from the very beginging. I used to watch her and started developing interest. So Today, I dedicate this Cake to My Mother for being my inspiration .......

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup butter 
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
red or pink food coloring
yellow food coloring 
⅓ cup  apricot jam
 250 gms marzipan (to cover the cake)**

Method

1. Sieve flour, ground almonds and salt with baking powder and keep aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar till light nd fluffy.

3. Add eggs one at a time. Add Vanilla extract.

4. Fold in flour mixture to make a smooth batter.

5. Divide the batter into two equal parts and add pink or red in one part and yellow in another part.

6. Bake them in a preheated oven for about 30 mins at 180 o C.

7. Cut each cake into half lengthwise and join it with apricot jam (warm it a little) to make a checkered pattern keeping one loaf on top of another.

8. Roll the marzipan and cover the cake with the marzipan tightly.

9. Trim the ends of the cake so that checkered pattern is visible.

 **Method for making Marzipan

1 cup finely ground almonds

1 cup icing sugar

2-3 tbsp sugar syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix ground almonds and icing sugar together. Add vanilla extract. Add sugar syrup spoon by spoon and knead it to make a soft and pliable dough. ( U can also use readymade dough available in the market)