Classic Battenberg Cake

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Medium

Battenberg is a British almond sponge cut and assembled into a pink and yellow checkerboard, glued with apricot jam and wrapped in marzipan. This is the classic tea-time version. Makes 1 cake in about 1 hr 50 min.

Prep 50 min

Cook 30 min

Cooling 30 min

Total 1 hr 50 min

Servings 10

Ingredients

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servings

¾ cup (175 g)unsalted butter, very soft
14 tbsp (175 g)caster sugar
1 cup (140 g)self-raising flour
½ cup (50 g)ground almonds
¾ tsp (3 g)baking powder
3 (150 g)eggs
½ tsp (3 ml)pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp (1 ml)almond extract, plain half only
¼ oz (1 g)pink food coloring paste, pink half only
⅓ cup (100 g)apricot jam, warmed and sieved
1 lb (500 g)white marzipan
2 ½ tbsp (20 g)powdered sugar, for rolling

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square tin with parchment, creating a pleated foil divider down the middle to make two equal halves.
Beat the butter and sugar 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoon of flour if it curdles.
Fold in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and vanilla until smooth.
Spoon half the batter into one side of the tin. Stir the almond extract into the plain half only if you like; tint the rest of the batter pink and spoon into the other side.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin 10 minutes, then on a rack.
Trim the sponges level and cut each lengthwise into two equal strips (four in all), trimming to the same width and length.
Dust the counter with powdered sugar and roll the marzipan to a rectangle slightly wider than the sponge length and about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.
Brush the marzipan with jam. Spread jam between strips and glue them in a checkerboard of two plain and two pink.
Set the block on the marzipan edge, brush the outside with jam and wrap tightly, trimming the seam and tucking it underneath.
Crimp the top edges with fingers or a fork and trim the ends neat before slicing.

Tips

Cut the sponge strips with a ruler so squares come out even.
Warm the jam so it brushes smoothly and sticks.
Chill the finished cake 30 minutes for clean slices.
Good with black tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make classic battenberg cake?

Plan on 50 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 1 cake (10 servings).

How should I store classic battenberg cake?

Wrap tightly and keep at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

Can I make classic battenberg cake ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 0.5 tsp pure vanilla extract (3 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Battenberg is a British sponge cake with a pink and yellow checkerboard cross-section, held with apricot jam and wrapped in marzipan. Serve it with black tea.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

537 Calories / serving

29.2g Fat

65.7g Carbs

7.6g Protein

56.0g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~5370 cal · 292g fat · 657g carbs · 76g protein · 560g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.