Daring Bakers June 2012- Battenberg cake

Daring Bakers june challenge was hosted by Mandy from What the Fruitcake?!. Mandy challenge everyone to make battenberg cake.
The first Battenberg cake was made to celebrate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria, to husband Prince Louis of Battenberg.It’s traditionally flavoured with almond and has the signature Battenberg markings, that is, the yellow and pink squares (said to represent the four princes of Battenberg). The strips of sponge are glued together using jam (normally apricot) and the whole cake is covered in marzipan. Sometimes the edges are crimped and the top is patterned with a knife.I planed to make battenberg for sunday lunch. Battenberg is supposed to be coverd with a firm edible covering as marcipan, fondant or chocolate plastique. I planed to make chocolate plastique but i forgot to buy Glucose syrup for it. So to save the cake somehow I covered it with some chocolate ganache. My battenberg cake is strawberry flavored.


RECIPE:


For cake:

175 g butter

175 g sugar

175 g flour 

3 eggs

65g ground almonds 

5 g baking Powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

200 g chopped strawberries

2 tbs cocoa

To finish:

200 g strawberry jam

100 g chocolate

100 ml cream

Preheat oven to moderate 180°C. Grease an 20 x 30 cm square baking tin with butter.Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment (or foil)


 Whisk together the dry ingredients then combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth
Divide the batter into two. Into one half of the batter add cocoa and into the other chopped strawberries. Put the batter into prepared tin and divide them with foil.
Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner
Bake for 25-30mins until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a 
toothpick comes out clean.Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife. Cut each coloured sponge in  lengthways so that you are left with four long sponges of every colour of sponge, at the end you should have eight sponges.
Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible.Gently heat the strawberry jam and pass through a small sieve. Brush warmed jam onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam and let it cool. 
Warm cream on moderate heat until it boils. Add chopped chocolate and mix until all chocolate melts. Brush the cake with chocolate ganache and cool it well before serving.


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