Marionberry Poppy Seed Battenberg
Deliciously moist almond poppy seed and marionberry cakes, sandwiched together with fresh marionberry jam, and rolled up in a gorgeous almond marzipan.
Making this Battenberg cake was so fun, I couldn’t just make one, so I made two! It didn’t feel right, however, to post such a similar recipe twice in a row, so the second Battenberg recipe will be posted NEXT THURSDAY instead, as a little bonus. That recipe will be linked here once it’s up!
Servings: 8 to 10 | Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
8” x 8” square pan
Parchment paper
Sifter / fine-mesh sieve
Food processor
Heavy-bottomed saucepan
Masher
Jar / Heat-safe bowl
Cake leveler
Pastry brush
Bench scraper
Marionberry Cake:
½ cup butter, softened
⅞ cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 cup pureed marionberries
¼ cup sour cream
1 ½ cup cake flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp baking soda
⅛ tsp salt
Almond Poppy Seed Cake:
1 ⅝ cups cake flour
¾ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds
¾ cups buttermilk, room temp
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 egg white
1 tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
Marionberry Jam:
6 oz. marionberries
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Marzipan:
2 ¼ cups almond flour
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
4 ½ tbsp water
1 tsp almond extract
Assembly:
Almonds, sliced
Marionberry Cake (15 minutes)
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Grease an 8” x 8” square pan with shortening. Line with parchment paper, creating a fold in the middle of the pan, so you have two equal halves. Set aside.
In a large bowl, with a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the marionberry puree and sour cream until just combined.
In a separate small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just incorporated.
Set aside while you make the almond poppy seed cake.
Almond Poppy Seed Cake (15 minutes prep + 20 to 25 minutes baking)
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Whisk in the poppy seeds.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, egg whites, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined.
Carefully pour each of the prepared cake batters into the divided pan, one on each side of the parchment divider. (You may need to hold the parchment up as you pour so it doesn’t fall over.)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Let cool to room temperature before assembling.
Marionberry Jam (20 minutes)
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix berries, sugar, and lemon juice.
Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a rolling boil.
Stir frequently, mashing the berries as you stir. Continue to boil until jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover the surface of the jam, about 10 minutes.
Transfer jam to a jar or heat-safe bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Marzipan (5 minutes)
In a food processor, combine the almond flour and powdered sugar and process until combined.
Add the water and almond extract.
Pulse a couple of times until the dough holds together and forms a ball.
If the dough is too dry and doesn't hold together, add a little more water, pulsing in between until a thick dough is formed. Conversely, if the dough is too sticky and wet, add a little more almond flour until dough is no longer tacky.
Set aside.
Assembly (20 minutes)
Use a cake leveler to remove the rounded tops of the cakes.
Cut the cakes in half so you have four long rectangles with square ends of equal size.
Use a pastry brush to brush marionberry jam onto the long sides and press the cakes together into a checkered square.
Set aside.
Roll out the marzipan between two pieces of parchment paper to about ¼” thickness.
Remove the top piece of parchment and place the cake in the center.
Use the bottom piece of parchment to roll the marzipan around the cake, pressing it to the jam so it sticks. Pinch the seam to attach.
Cut off the ends of the cake so the marzipan and cake are all even with each other.
Flip the cake so the seam side is down and place onto a serving plate.
Use a bench scraper to indent a crosshatch pattern onto the marzipan top.
Decorate with sliced almonds.
Serve immediately. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to a week.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade