Battenburg Cake

225g (8oz) Almond Paste
110g (4oz) Butter, softened
110g (4oz) Caster Sugar
110g (4oz) Self Raising Flour
50g (2oz) Ground Rice
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3-4 tbsp Apricot Jam
½ tsp Baking Powder
Almond Essence
Red Food Colouring

Pre-heat oven to 170°C: 325°F: Gas 3.
Grease and line an 18 cm (7 inch) shallow square baking tin with buttered greaseproof paper.
Whisk together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the beaten eggs gradually with a little of the flour.
Fold in the remaining sieved flour, ground rice, flour, baking powder and a few drops of almond essence.
Spoon half the mixture into one half of the prepared baking tin.
Use a strip of buttered greaseproof paper to create a barrier.
Add a few drops of the red food colouring to the remaining mixture to turn it a rich pink colour.
Spoon into the other half of the tin, smoothing the surface.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until well risen and is springy to the touch and has shrunk slightly in the tin.
Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
When cool, trim the edges and cut lengthwise into four equal parts.
Place the jam into a saucepan and heat gently to melt.
Brush a the portions of cake with the jam to stick them together, to form a chequerboard effect.
Roll out the almond paste into a rectangle, long enough to wrap around the cake.
Brush the outside of the cake with jam.
Press the almond paste around the cake, dampening the edges lightly to form a neat join at one of the corners of the cake.

Baking Recipes

Battenburg Cake