A classic cake originating in England, assembled in a checkered pattern and bonded together with apricot jam and covered with homemade marzipan. Sounds amazing right? Well, it is an amazing cake and today I’m going to show you how to make it. This recipe will make about 8 servings with generous portions.
I’ve been obsessing about making a recipe for this cake ever since I first tried it at a friend’s party. It looks amazing and it tastes even better. It’s the perfect cake after any lunch or dinner and I guarantee you won’t everybody will love it.
This cake is quite fun to assemble and your kids might enjoy joining in as well. A vanilla ice cream is a great pair for this cake, just scoop on top and its heaven. Some melted white chocolate will also do the trick.
Ingredients for Chocolate Almond Battenberg Cake
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
FOR ALMOND BATTER:
1 teaspoon almond extract
FOR CHOCOLATE BATTER:
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons milk
FOR FILLING/BRUSHING:
3/4 cup apricot jam
ALMOND PASTE (MARZIPAN):
2 cups almond flour (ground almonds)
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
How to Make Chocolate Almond Battenberg Cake
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease two 8×4 bread loaf pan and line with parchment paper. You can also use an 8×8 square pan, just put a cardboard wrap in aluminum foil and put it in the middle.
Mix all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and then gradually add the flour mixture and milk. Stir until well combined. Divide batter in half.
For the almond batter, just add the almond extract and mix well. For the chocolate batter, mix cocoa powder, milk, and sugar in a small bowl then add to the mixture. Pour each batter on the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.
For the filling, warm the apricot jam and then strain to create a smooth consistency. Let it cool. Trim the top of the cakes and place one on top of the other and trim sides to make them equal in size. Cut in half lengthways. Brush cakes with apricot jam, place the cakes on opposite sides/top of each other, imitating a checkered pattern. The chocolate cake beside the almond cake, and on top of the chocolate cake is the almond cake and vice versa.
For the almond paste or marzipan, combine all dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until they are combined. Add the apricot jam and almond extract. Continue to process until it comes together. Knead with your hands and place the almond paste in between two parchment papers. Flatten it using a rolling pin. Cut the marzipan into an 8×12 inch square and then wrap on the cake. Trim the ends and refrigerate. Serve upside down so that the ends of the marzipan is at the bottom. You can also make a design by scoring the top of the cake with a knife, creating a diagonal pattern.
To see the original recipe that inspired this one, check out the recipe for Chocolate Almond Battenberg Cake found at Home Cooking Adventure.
