Chocolate Orange Battenburg Cake

A tasty variation on the traditional pink-and-white Battenburg cake using two of my favourite flavours ~ chocolate and orange. Use good quality marzipan for the best flavour!

Ingredients:~
(Makes one 18cm long rectangular cake)


115g/1 cup soft margarine
115g/1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
a few drops of vanilla extract
13g/1 tbsp ground almonds
115g/1 cup self raising flour (sifted)
rind and juice of 1/2 orange
15g/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
30-45ml/2-3 tbsp milk
1 jar chocolate and nut spread
225g marzipan (colour is up to you but yellow or white looks good with this recipe)


Method:~


1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 3 and line a 18cm square tin with baking paper. Put a double piece of foil down the centre of the tin to divide it into two equal oblongs. (I used two bread tins as my square tin was too large for this recipe. I ended up with enough cake to make two small battenburgs but more on that later!)


2. Cream the margarine and sugar. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and almonds. Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls.


3. Fold half of the flour into one half, with the orange rind and enough juice to give a soft dropping consistency. Fold the rest of the flour and cocoa powder into the other half, with enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency. Fill the tin with the two mixes and level the top.


4. Bake for 15 mins then reduce the temperature a little (if you can) to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 20-30 mins, or until the top is just firm. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes. Turn out onto a board, cut each cake into two strips and trim evenly. Leave to cool. (I cut each of my cake into 4 small strips at this point)


5. Using the chocolate and nut spread, sandwich the pieces together 'Battenburg' style.


6. Roll out the marzipan on a board, dusted with either icing sugar or corn flour, to make a rectangle big enough to wrap around your cake. Cover your cake with some more spread and apply the marzipan, making sure the join is at the bottom. (I split the marzipan between the two cakes and had more than enough. Make sure you roll the marzipan thin enough so that the taste won't over power the taste of the sponge inside!)


7. ENJOY!


More recipes coming soon!
Do let me know how you got on!